Gillnets are one of the important gears contributing to the marine fish landings of Karnataka. A variety of gillnets (drift, bottom set, encircling and entangling), are deployed in the fishery. The smaller monofilament gears are operated by small non-motorized and motorized crafts. The larger polyamide high-density polyethylene nets are operated from large mechanized crafts. The use of large meshed knotted monofilament gillnets deployed
from mechanized trawlers is a novel introduction and has enabled fishers to operate over submerged banks, rocky patches and reefs