Fishing Gear

Discover the history and benefits of one-by-one fishing gear - the technique that uses one hook and one line to catch one tuna at a time by using the following gear: Pole-and-line, handline, and troll (not to be confused with trawling!).

These artisanal fishing methods use materials found locally and have been used since humans have lived off the seas. This can still be seen today in Indonesia, for example, where pole-and-line fishers use the same bamboo poles and techniques that their ancient ancestors used.

One-by-one fishing methods are what we would describe as low input methods, selectively catching tuna species at sustainable rates and allowing fish stocks to recover.

One-by-one fisheries also have almost no interactions with environmentally threatened species in a significant way. This is completely different to industrial fisheries that cannot be as selective, and as a result can catch a wide range of species of sharks, dolphins and turtles.