Journal of Krishi Vigyan

Drive-in-nets was a mobile impounding net where the technique of fishing was by driving the fish into the stationary gears by scare lines. These gears were readily operated on the banks of river Brahmaputra and were locally known as sonejal in Assam.The gear was comprised of a bamboo framed lift net (pahjal) where the capture was affected by the process of confining fish driven by a scare line (rosi). The net was made of polyamide multifilament webbing having mesh size of 7-10 mm. The scare line measured 41-135 m in length and was either made of old discarded drag nets of polyamide multifilament material twisted into a line or by a single Polyethylene rope attached alternately with pieces of tortoise or buffalo bones and bricks. A tickling sound by these bones and bricks when dragged over the bottom drove the fishes over the stationary gear. The catch was mainly comprised of small sized fishes viz., Eutropi ichthys vacha(32%), Clupiso magarua (24%),Cabdio morar (13%), Opsarius spp. (10%), Devario spp. (7%),Rasbora spp (6%),Esomus danrica (4%) and riverine prawn (4%), with a catch per unit effort of 1.2-3.4 kg/hr/gear. Drive-in-net was an active gear operated during day period of time, preferably in the winter season (November-March) and had a life span of 22-23 yr. The gear was cost effective, environment friendly and can be efficiently operated by 3-4 persons for securing food from the river.