Fishing weir

A fishing weir, fish weir, fishgarth or kiddle is an obstruction placed in tidal waters, or wholly or partially across a river, to direct the passage of fish. A weir may be used to trap fish such as salmon as they attempt to swim upstream, or eels as they migrate downstream. Alternatively, fish weirs can be used to channel fish to a particular location, such as to a fish ladder. Weirs were traditionally built from wood or stones. The use of fishing weirs as fish traps dates back prior to the emergence of modern humans, and have since been used by many societies across the world.

History

The word weir comes from the Anglo-Saxon wer, one meaning of which is a device to trap fish. The use of stone tidal weirs to catch fish has a long history dating back to the pre-sapiens phase of hominid evolution. In Ireland, fish traps in association with weirs have been found that date from 8,000 years ago. Stone tidal weirs were used across the world and by 1707, 160 such structures, some of which reached 360 metres in length, were in use along the coast of the Shimabara Peninsula of Japan.