: a large net with sinkers on one edge and floats on the other that hangs vertically in the water and is used to enclose and catch fish when its ends are pulled together or are drawn ashore
In November 1983, in the cold, rough waters off Berufjördur, Icelander Helgi Jonasson drew a large purse-seine net around a group of killer whales. Tim Zimmermann, Outside Online, 30 July 2010 Southern flounder have suffered a precipitous, long-term decline for decades, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department data such as seine bag and gill net surveys. Matt Wyatt, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Nov. 2021 The boat had caught too many fish and the encircling wall of the purse-seine net was broke as it was being closed and winched up, releasing tons of crushed and suffocated animals. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2021 Boats with electric fishing equipment and underwater speakers then herded the carp into smaller and smaller cells, until they were all pulled up with a commercial seine fishing net. Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, 9 Apr. 2021 The seine fleet this year has a harvest of 33,304 tons (nearly 67 million pounds), but managers predict low participation and limited processing capacity.Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2021 There has been absolutely no activity in that Chignik seine permit market and the lowest asking price is probably about $90,000.Anchorage Daily News, 3 Nov. 2020 The trio is charged with catching ciscoes — also known as lake herring or tullibees — using seine nets and other unlawful methods and then selling them to bait shops, gas stations and other retailers from October 2012 to December 2016. Erin Adler, Star Tribune, 10 Sep. 2020 The three of us hauled one of John B.’s fifteen-yard seine nets over to the Croatan Sound. David Wright Faladé, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2020
Verb
Other quotas go to seine, gillnets, recreational and subsistence fisheries, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Hal Bernton, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2022 Likewise, seine permits at Kodiak have been on a steady rise from the mid-$30,000 range up to $40,000 since the season ended. Laine Welch | Fish Factor, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Oct. 2021 Nina mentioned the recent rain, which had interrupted berry picking and caused the ladies to cease seining for whitefish. Seth Kantner, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Dec. 2019 Seining the Lagoon at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Jennifer Jhon, South Florida Parenting, 17 May 2017 The seining Illinois creeks class for high school students will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. May 13. Barbara Benson, chicagotribune.com, 4 May 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English segne, from Latin sagena, from Greek sagēnē
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above