As defined in Maryland regulation, a pound net means
a fixed entrapment gear consisting of:
(a) A net body or crib measuring at least
16 feet long by 16 feet wide at the surface of the water with a netting
floor and open top; (b) Mesh webbing with a twine size of #12 or larger;
(c) At least one heart leading into the crib; and (d) A leader or hedging.
Pound net sites in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake
Bay and its tributaries must be registered with the Department of Natural
Resources. Not all registered sites are fished each year. Waterman may
chose to rotate their active sites from year to year. Few nets actually
remain in the water year round (with
permission), the majority of pound nets are set and fished between
April and November. Nets are typically set in 12 – 20 feet of water;
however, some fisherman use deeper sets (20 – 35 feet) but this is rare.
Pound nets catch a wide variety of Bay finfish. The harvest varies by
season and may consist of striped
bass, bluefish,
catfish,
croaker,
flounder,
menhaden,
perch,
spot,
weakfish
and river
herring. The finfish harvest from pound nets is a valuable contribution
to the seafood industry and your dinner table.
The following is a brief description of pound net
gear.
