Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Fishing nets
Fishnets are key technical textiles used in fishing industry. Fishing nets are knitted fabrics used for
marine and inland fishing by fisherman, fishing trawlers and boats. The characteristics and
specifications of fishnets vary based on the method adopted for fishing.
Product characteristics
Fishing nets are classified as:
• HDPE fishnets
• Nylon Mono-filament fishnets and
• Nylon Multi-filament fishnets
Fishnets are made from Nylon or HDPE twines which could be used in monofilament form or single
twines twisted together for multifilament form. The basic characteristics for fishnets are transparency
and invisibility in water. The critical operational characteristics of fishnets are - high tensile strength,
high knot breaking strength, high abrasion resistance and low drag resistance. The mesh size ranges
from 10 mm to 2,000 mm based on area and method of application. The various types of knots used
for fishnet construction are single, double and U-knots. In case of multifilament nets, the number
plies in the yarn varies from 2 to 36. The length and breadth dimensions of the fishnets are primarily
driven by customer specifications. These nets are available in 100 m, 250 m, 500 m, 600 m and 1000
m spools.
Market dynamics and key growth drivers – Fishing industry in India
India is one of the leading fish producing countries in the world with third position in fisheries and
second in aquaculture. India is endowed with vast fisheries resources in terms of a coast line of 8,118
km and 2.02 million square km of Exclusive Economic Zone, including 0.530 million square km of
continental shelf. The inland fisheries resources include rivers and canals (1.95 lakh km), reservoirs
(3.15 million ha), floodplain wetlands (0.35 million ha), estuaries (0.26 million ha), freshwater waters
(2.41 million ha) and brackish-water bodies (1.24million ha). At present, an estimated 14 million
people are engaged in fishing, aquaculture and ancillary activities.
Fisheries contribute 1-2% of the national GDP and 5-6% of the agricultural and allied activities.
Demand for fish and fish products are increasing both in the domestic and export markets. This has
been caused due to the health concerns and the perception of fish as a healthy food with high levels of
digestible protein and cholesterol lowering capabilities. The projected demand for fish in the country
by 2012 is 9.74 million tonnes (Fisheries Division, 2006, NCAP, 2006) including 5.9 million MT for
the domestic market, up from the demand for fish in 2005-06 of 6.37 million MT. The projected