Traditional Net Fishing in Kuwait: The Basics

Net fishing is one of the oldest ways of working Kuwaiti water: put gear where fish will pass and let the tide work. That simplicity misleads. What separates a full net from an empty one is reading the water, not the gear.

Why a Net Catches Anything

A gill net does not hunt. It catches because a fish tries to cross and the mesh holds at the gills. Two conditions must be true: fish pass that spot, and the net sits still in their path instead of drifting. Both are decided before you set.

The difference from rod fishing is that you feel nothing — no rod tip, no line in your hand. The gear works away from you, so the marks and your check intervals are the only feedback.

Gill Nets and Hadhra

Hadhra is the local name for a traditional fixed trap set in shallow water close to shore, worked by the rise and fall of the tide. A gill net is set from a boat or the beach and moves with the current. Each has its ground: hadhra wants shallow water and a working tide, a gill net wants a channel or an opening fish funnel through. Right gear, wrong place, scores zero.

Set on Moving Water

Still water carries nothing into your net. The best windows are usually the first hours of the flood or the ebb, when water moves at a workable pace — not dead, not ripping. On spring days the current is stronger, so the net sets faster and needs more weight and closer watching, or it tangles.

In the free B7R app, check tide times for Shuwaikh and Shuaiba and the sea state before you set, then log the trip in the catch log to learn which window produced.

Mark It and Check It

Never set without marks. Flag both ends with floats you can pick out at distance in daylight and dark, and stay clear of navigation channels and boat lanes — a risk to others and to you.

• Check the net often, roughly every half hour, rather than leaving it for hours.
• Release undersized fish quickly and gently — do not pull the mesh out by the gills.
• Free any turtle or bird caught in the net without delay.
• Two empty checks in a row means move the net, not the luck.

Log what you released and kept. The pattern tells you where to set next time.

Rules and the Propeller

Kuwait bans certain net types and enforces seasons for some species, and the terms change. Do not rely on dock talk or an old post: verify the current rules with PAAAFR (the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources) before you buy gear and at the start of each season. A violation can cost you the gear and the day.

The second risk is the propeller: never run across your own net, shift to neutral or shut down while hauling, and keep clear of the stern when pulling by hand. Carry a sharp knife — if the net wraps the shaft, do not free it with the engine running.

Net fishing rewards patience and reading: right place, right tide, regular checks, and respect for the rules. It all gets easier when you know what the water is doing before you leave.