About
Cast net fishing is a significant part of history in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Africans transported to the Lowcountry, later known as the Gullah people, brought with them skills in boating and fishing. Seafood was plentiful on the South Carolina coast and barrier islands (sea islands) and made up a large part of the diet, just as on the west coast of Africa. The process used for catching fish and shellfish was a cast net. When the net is thrown, the mesh forms a circle, flattening out like a plate. The line is then pulled in, closing the net and trapping everything in it. Usually several people in fishing communities know how to weave and knot the nets; however, it is a skilled art form that has its roots in Africa.