Light Fishing

the catching offish with the aid of artificial light. Many fishes are attracted or repelled by underwater or abovewater light sources. For example, light attracts sprats, sauries, mackerel, and sardines but frightens off cod, tuna, stiarks, and eels. The success of light fishing depends on biological factors (for example, the age of the fish), environmental conditions (water temperature and transparency, the phase of the moon), and the position and spectral characteristics of the light source. The behavior of the fish can be controlled by altering the intensity of the light. The fish can be attracted or driven away and led from one light source to another. The fish can also be brought closer to the light source or raised to the surface. For these purposes, it is possible to use lamps, light clusters, spotlights, light buoys, light passages, light barriers, and strings of lights. The fish are caught with conical nets, side lifts, or fish pumps. The use of light sources increases the effectiveness of purse and set seining and trawling. Incandescent and fluorescent lamps are most often used. In certain instances, for example, in fishing for saury, blue and red light is used. Light fishing is widespread in Japan, the USSR, and other countries.