What is a Haul Seine?
At least two types of haul seines are used in Virginia a beach haul seine and an open water haul seine. A beach haul seine is a small mesh twine net about 10 feet tall with a weighted lead line and a float line. To operate the rig, the net is loaded into a boat and one end is anchored to an object on the beach while the paid out of the boat which is generally propelled with a medium sized engine. The net is normally set out in a semicircle down the bank. Once the net is set out a rope which is tied to the end of the net is returned to the shore. This rope is used to haul the net back to the shore. Thus the fish are captured by encircling them with the net. The second type can be referred to as an open water haul seine. It is a combination of a pound net, a trawl net and a traditional haul seine. This type of net has been historically restricted to shallow water areas, typically less than 10 feet deep. The main net consist of a twine 3 inch mesh net made in 50 foot sections. “Nominally,
