Tides and Net Fishing

For anyone who sets nets in Kuwaiti waters, the tide is the engine of the whole fishery. The sea pushes in and pulls out, fish travel with the water, and a net set at the wrong moment can sit empty while the same spot fills an hour later. Reading the tide is the difference between a good trip and a wasted one.

Why Fish Move With the Water

Fish rarely stay put. On a rising tide, the incoming current carries smaller fish into shallow coastal water to feed, and bigger predators follow close behind. On a falling tide, the same fish stream back out toward deeper water. Every run of the tide moves fish past certain points and away from others, so net fishermen read the direction of the water before setting anything.

Moving Water Means Feeding Time

The strongest feeding — and the best netting — happens while the tide is running, whether it is flooding in or ebbing out. That is when fish are active, chasing the food the moving water stirs up. Slack water, the pause between tides, is a different story: movement stops, fish go quiet and spread out, and the catch slows noticeably. Set your nets around the running tide and you work with the fish; set them into slack water and you work against them.

Tide times shift a little every day, so what worked yesterday will not hold today. The B7R app gives live tide times for Kuwait's two main ports, Shuwaikh and Shuaiba — check when the water starts running and plan your sets around that movement.

Low Tide Reveals the Ground

A falling tide shows the bottom. Sandbanks hidden at high water appear as the sea drops, and the channels between them stand out clearly. These channels are natural routes for fish moving in and out, and as the water falls, fish concentrate in them and along the edges of the banks. Learn the channels and banks of your grounds at low tide, and you will know where to set nets on the next run of water.

Practical Tips for Setting Nets

• Set nets with the direction of the tide in mind, so the gear works with the current instead of against it.
• Do not leave gear unattended for long stretches; nets need regular checks.
• Keep an eye on the weather and retrieve your gear before conditions turn rough.
• Think about where rising water could carry a net or strand it, and set it so it is not pushed out of reach or left high and dry.

Know the Rules Before You Set a Net

Net fishing in Kuwait is not open to anyone. It is practised by licensed and authorised fishermen, and Kuwait has regulations covering seasons, areas and minimum fish sizes. Rules change, so never assume — check the current regulations and follow them on every trip. They exist to protect the fishery for the generations of Kuwaiti fishermen who come after.

Good planning starts before you leave the house: check tide times for the nearest of the two ports along with the current sea conditions, so you know when the water will run and whether it is safe to be out. Note your sets in the catch log to learn what works, and use the fish guide to identify your catch. The B7R app puts it all in one place — live tide times, sea state, marine seasons info, fish guide and catch log — so check it before every trip.

Download the B7R app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.q8dm.b7r