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Eel Weir

Large fixed nets mounted in a vertical position using wooden stakes and poles form barriers extending to a wooden container in the water. Other nets are starting to float thanks to empty multi-coloured plastic bottles attached to their edges.

Location: Rivière-Ouelle (Québec)
Date: October 2016
Photo: Judith Douville

All fishers have their particular technique for building catching gear. Decisions concerning the general layout, materials and types of netting used do not merely depend on questions of availability. They are also based on the location of the gear, the terrain, the length of the foreshore and exposure to the wind.

If the foreshore is not too sandy, floating weirs are an excellent choice. The nets are anchored at the bottom by a chain and attached at the top to a row of floats, consisting often of empty plastic bottles. The floats remain at the surface of the water when the tide rises, causing the nets to unfurl vertically.