Learn more about the Wild BC Salmon Seine Fishery
Bob Rezansoff, a long time seiner, talks about today's seine fishery which has adapted with the changing times into a tightly managed, selective fishery harvesting target runs while protecting weaker stocks.
Seine boats use large nets to encircle the fish before closing the bottom of the net (pursing) and then gently scooping the fish out with a smaller dip net (brailing). Non-target species can be identified and released unharmed when brailed.
Sustainable and Responsible Fishing Practices:
The method of fishing by seine is sustainable and selective - fish are targeted by species, caught with the seine net and taken from the net using a “brailer” which is a small dip net.
The fish brailed on board are alive and placed on a sorting table where they are identified by species. If any non-target species are present, they are returned safely to the water. Fish that demonstrate the need to be “revived” are placed in revival tanks installed on the seine vessel with flowing water and kept there until they are ready to be returned to the water.
High-Quality Product:
The process of brailing minimizes harm to fish brought on board for sorting.
Fish harvested are put directly into a chilled water/ice mixture, resulting in a high-quality product delivered fresh to the market.
Sockeye salmon is a high-quality, healthy fish that is in high demand.
Wild BC salmon is primarily harvested using three fishing methods, Seining, Trolling & Gillnet. Seiners catch mainly sockeye, pink and chum salmon and they account for about 50% of the total commercial harvest. Learn more about our other fishing methods.
This project is supported by the BC Government Buy BC Partnership Program: delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding from the Government of British Columbia.
