Catching the Fish - why use drifters?
Picture of a drifter at sea
By John Layton
Herring are fish that swim and feed close to the surface (hence their camouflaged colouring), so, to catch them, nets are hung vertically in the water, like a string of huge tennis nets so, at night time, the fish would blunder into the nets and be caught by their gills.
This method of fishing is known as drift netting because, once the nets have been put out, the boat drifts slowly backwards to keep the nets out in a straight line.
Drifter hauling nets
Great Yarmouth Musuems