Net Making and Fishing-Gear Repair

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate, including school leavers, young fishers, women and men from fishing families, and persons with disabilities. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework.

Why net making and gear repair

• In 2016 the national canoe count recorded 11,583 canoes and 107,518 fishermen in Ghana's four coastal regions.
• In Ahanta West District, the same count found 1,107 canoes and 6,031 fishermen. At the landing beach the survey calls Akwadae (Akwidaa), it counted 94 canoes: 45 purse-net (poli/watsa) canoes, 1 beach seine, 15 line canoes, 18 set-net canoes, 4 drift-net canoes and 11 one-man canoes, with 527 fishermen. Every one of those canoes carries nets, ropes or lines that tear and wear out.
• Nets cost a lot. In 2016 a large watsa, drift gill net or beach seine sold for GH¢15,000 to GH¢40,000, a medium set net for GH¢1,000 to GH¢3,000, and a small set net for a one-man canoe for GH¢500 to GH¢1,500. Prices today are higher (not verified). Mending a net is far cheaper than buying a new one.
• In April 2026 Eni Ghana and its partners gave multifilament nets, weaving threads, buoys, lead weights and dragging ropes to canoe owners in 14 coastal districts, including Ahanta West, to replace ageing nets. New nets still need menders.
• The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority built a maintenance yard at New Takoradi in 2023 where fishers repair and maintain canoes and fishing gear.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical.

Every unit has a practical task, homework and a short Check yourself quiz.

Related courses in the hub. For what happens to the fish after landing, see the hub's Fish Smoking and Processing. For growing fish in ponds and cages, see Fish Farming. For canoe engines, see Outboard Motor Repair.

Competency standard

Range. The training beach and the mending area. Evidence. Life jacket check; safety checklist; oral questions.

Why safety comes first

• WHO says more than 80 fishers die every day during fishing work, and drowning is the main cause, especially among small-scale fishers. Few fishers wear life jackets and many carry no safety equipment.
• The Ghana Maritime Authority reported 9 boat accidents and 42 deaths across the country between 2024 and June 2026. It sold 20,000 life jackets at a subsidised GH¢250 each and said it was preparing a rule to make life jackets compulsory on inland waters.
• FAO runs a fishing-safety programme and training for small-scale fishers.

What the law asks a canoe to carry

Ghana's Fisheries Regulations, 2010 (L.I. 1968) list safety equipment for fishing vessels. They still apply, because the new Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146) keeps regulations made under the old law in force until they are replaced.

More rules for canoes:

• From sunset to sunrise, or in poor visibility, a small canoe shows an all-round light on the mast, or carries a torch and a flare (a cloth soaked in kerosene that can be lit) to avoid collision.
• A canoe driven by an outboard motor must carry a sail and rigging and a normal set of paddles or oars at all times while at sea. If the engine stops, you can still get home.

How strictly these rules are checked on canoes at Akwidaa was not verified. Follow them anyway: they save lives.

Choosing and checking a life jacket

Adult life jackets were advertised in Ghana in October 2026 for about GH¢170 to GH¢350, and self-inflating ones for about GH¢450. The subsidised Ghana Maritime Authority price was GH¢250.

How to check and wear one (general practice, not verified; your trainer will show you):

1. Look. No tears, no rotten straps, no broken buckles, no foam falling out.
2. Put it on and close every buckle and zip.
3. Tighten the straps from the bottom up until it is snug.
4. Lift test. A partner lifts the jacket at the shoulders. If it rides up over your chin or ears, tighten it or choose a smaller size.
5. Bright colour and whistle. A bright jacket with reflective tape and a whistle helps rescuers find you.
6. Children need a child-size jacket. An adult jacket slips off a child.
7. Store it in the shade, dry, away from fuel and sharp gear. Sun and salt weaken straps over time.

Safe work on the beach

(General practice, not verified, except where a source is named in this unit.)

Check yourself

1. Name two items that the law asks a power-driven canoe under 7 m to carry.
2. When do you put on your life jacket?
3. Why must a canoe with an outboard motor also carry paddles and a sail?

Competency standard

Range. Samples of netting and gear at the training beach. Evidence. Gear identification sheet; mesh measurements; oral questions.

The main canoe gears in Ghana

The national canoe count groups canoes by the gear they use most.

The law uses some of these words too. In Act 1146, "seine" includes the beach seine, purse seine and ring nets, and "fishing gear" includes nets, ropes, lines, floats, traps and hooks. So when this book says gear, it means all of them.

Canoes in Ghana are mostly carved from the trees locally called wawa and onyina. The canoe itself is not your work in this course, but the gear on it is.

The parts of a net

The law on nets: what every mender must know

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146) replaced the Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625). Regulations made under the old law stay in force until they are replaced. So the gear rules in the Fisheries Regulations, 2010 (L.I. 1968) still apply. Act 1146 also lets the Minister make new regulations on the types and sizes of gear, the sizes of nets that may be used, where they may be used, and which nets are banned. Rules can change: check with the Fisheries Commission office before you make a new net.

The rules in L.I. 1968:

Act 1146 adds:

• Holding banned fishing gear within 2 km of the shoreline without written permission from the Commission is an offence. For a canoe-scale fisher the fine is 500 to 1,000 penalty units.
• Juvenile fish, and egg-carrying (gravid) or juvenile lobsters, must not be taken. If they are caught by accident, put them back in the water at once.
• Putting harmful substances into fishery waters is an offence.
• Damaging or destroying another person's fishing gear is an offence: for canoe gear, 250 to 1,000 penalty units or 1 to 2 years in prison, or both.

One penalty unit is GH¢12. So 500 penalty units is GH¢6,000.

Why monofilament nets are banned

Monofilament is a single smooth strand of nylon. It is clear in the water and catches far more fish than other netting, but it does not rot. Lost monofilament nets keep catching and killing fish for a long time ("ghost nets"). A 2023 report said many fishers use monofilament because the old people did, without knowing it is illegal; the Fisheries Commission seizes and destroys such nets when it arrests offenders. Monofilament fish nets were still advertised for sale online in Ghana in October 2026. Being sold does not make it legal.

How to tell monofilament from multifilament. Monofilament: one shiny, see-through strand like a fishing line. Multifilament: many fine fibres twisted or braided together, soft, and you can untwist the end.

Closed season and fishing holidays

• Under Act 1146 the Minister can declare a closed season by notice in the Gazette, at least three months ahead. Fishing in a closed season is an offence: for canoes, 1,000 to 10,000 penalty units, and the catch, gear and vessel can be forfeited.
• In 2026, canoe fishers were exempted from the closed season. Industrial trawlers closed from 1 July to 31 August and semi-industrial vessels from 1 to 31 July. Canoe fishers must still obey all fisheries rules. Check each year: the rule for canoes can change.
• Fishing communities keep at least one fishing holiday a week; in the Western Region the 2016 count found Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Ask your chief fisherman which day applies at your beach. Holidays are good mending days.

How to measure a mesh

The law measures mesh size as the largest inside distance between two opposite knots of a stretched mesh, measured when the net is wet, with an approved flat gauge or callipers.

1. Wet the netting.
2. Pull one mesh tight along its length so that it closes.
3. Measure from the inside of one knot to the inside of the opposite knot.
4. Measure at least five meshes in different places and write them all down.
5. Faster check: stretch ten meshes in a row, measure them together and divide by 10.

Check yourself

1. What is the smallest mesh that may be made, sold or used in Ghana?
2. May a monofilament set net be used in the sea?
3. How does the law say you measure a mesh?

Competency standard

Range. Twine, rope and tools in the training area. Evidence. Loaded needles; knot board; oral questions.

Netting materials

• Natural fibres such as cotton, sisal and hemp rot when wet unless treated. Synthetic fibres resist rot and wear and are stronger, so almost all nets today are synthetic.
• The main synthetic fibres are polyamide (PA, nylon), polyester (PES), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
• Water test. PP is lighter than water and floats; PA (nylon) is heavier and sinks. Drop a short piece of twine into a bucket to see which you have.
• Sun is the enemy. Of all weather, the sun's rays do the most damage to synthetic netting. Dyeing helps nets last longer.

Twine

Twine size. Sellers describe twine by weight per length. One common system is denier, the weight in grams of 9,000 m; another is tex, the weight in grams of 1,000 m. A twine marked 210/3 or 210 × 3 is three yarns of 210 denier twisted together. You will learn the sums in Level 2. At this level: match the new twine to the old twine in thickness and type.

Thickness test. Wrap the twine ten times tightly round a pencil, side by side, and measure the width of the ten wraps. Ten wraps of a 0.7 mm twine measure about 7 mm. Do the same with the old net's twine and compare.

Where to buy

Ask at your landing beach, at fishing-gear sellers in Takoradi, and from canoe owners' groups; sellers and prices near Akwidaa were not verified. Online listings in October 2026 showed nylon rope 12 mm × 50 m at about GH¢270. Buy from sellers who stock legal nets and multifilament twine. Write every price you find in your logbook.

Your tools

Ask the older menders for the local Fante or Ahanta names of each tool and write them in your logbook.

Making a mesh gauge

The gauge width sets the mesh. A handbook formula is:

Gauge width = (mesh size ÷ 2) − (2 × gauge thickness)

Example from the handbook: for a 7.6 cm mesh and a gauge 0.32 cm thick, the width is 7.6 ÷ 2 − 2 × 0.32 = 3.16 cm.

Always knit a test row and measure the real mesh (Unit 2 method). Twine thickness and how hard you pull change the result, so adjust the gauge until the mesh is right.

Loading the needle

1. Cut a long piece of twine from the ball and let the twists hang out, so it will not kink.
2. Hold the needle point upwards.
3. Pass the end of the twine round the prong and trap it under the twine coming out (a half hitch).
4. Take the twine down and round the heel. Turn the needle over half a turn (180°), pass the twine round the prong and back down to the heel. Never turn it a full circle (360°), or the twine kinks.
5. Repeat, filling the needle tightly, turning it back and forth each time.
6. Stop when it is full. You should still see the prong and the heel.

Common mistakes. Overfilling (the needle sticks in the mesh: use less twine or a bigger needle). Loose loading (twine falls off: wind tighter). Kinks (you turned it a full circle: unwind and start again).

The basic knots

The sheet bend, step by step (on a mesh).

1. Hold the open mesh (the loop) above your gauge.
2. Bring the needle up from beneath the loop.
3. Go round both sides of the loop.
4. Pass the needle back under the twine coming in (the twine from the last knot).
5. Keep the knot in place with your fingers and pull it tight with the heel of the needle.
6. Check: the knot must sit on the loop, not slip below it. A slipped knot makes a wrong-sized mesh.

Square knot warning. If you tie "left over right, then left over right again", you get a granny knot, which slips. A square knot also slips when the two ropes are of different thickness. For joining two different twines, use a sheet bend.

Whipping a rope end

A rope end that is not whipped unravels. To whip it:

1. Lay a piece of twine along the rope, a few centimetres from the end.
2. Wind the twine tightly round the rope several times, over the short end, to hold it.
3. Make a loop with the free end and lay it back along the rope.
4. Wind three or four more turns over both the rope and the loop.
5. Pull the free end to draw the loop tight under the turns, and trim.

Synthetic rope ends can also be sealed by melting with a flame (general practice, not verified). Do it away from fuel and nets, and do not touch the hot end.

Check yourself

1. Which knot makes every mesh?
2. When you load a needle, how far do you turn it each time?
3. A gauge is 2 mm thick. What width gives a 40 mm mesh?

Competency standard

Range. A practice panel 8 meshes wide and 6 meshes deep, then a 20 by 20 panel. Evidence. Finished panels; mesh measurement record.

Words you need

• Pickups: the meshes along the top and bottom edges of a piece of netting. Siders: the meshes along the side edges.
• Run of the twine: the direction in which the knots tighten when you pull the netting. Pulled the other way, the knots loosen. Hang nets so the pull goes with the run.
• Stretched mesh: two bars pulled tight, measured from knot centre to knot centre. (The law measures inside the knots; see Unit 2.)
• Netting size is given in meshes: for example "13 meshes wide by 12½ meshes deep".

Knit a square panel: 8 meshes wide, 6 rows deep

1. Tie a piece of twine about 46 cm long into a loop and hang it on a hook or nail.
2. Using the gauge and clove hitches, form 8 loops on that loop.
3. Turn the work over so you always knit from left to right.
4. Hold the gauge under the loops. Make the first mesh: take the twine round the gauge and tie a sheet bend on the first loop. Remember: the gauge sets the bar, not the whole mesh.
5. Leave the gauge in place and repeat for the other 7 loops.
6. At the end of the row, slide the gauge out, turn the work over and knit the next row on the new meshes.
7. Continue until you have 6 rows.
8. Cut the foundation loop and pull it out. You now have a square piece of netting.

Check at every row:

Adding and taking in meshes

• Creasing (adding a mesh). Make a mesh in the normal way. Then take the twine round the gauge again, but instead of picking up the next mesh, go back through the mesh you just made. Then carry on as normal. Spread creasings across the row and do not put two side by side. If you always add at the end of a row, the net slants at 45°.
• Bating (taking in a mesh). Pick up two meshes together and tie one sheet bend round both. Spread batings evenly to avoid twisting the net.

Strengthening the edge (selvedge)

The outer meshes of a panel hang loose. To make a stronger edge, take in the loose bar of the outside mesh with the first knot of each row. A top or bottom edge can be made stronger by knitting the first and last rows with double twine. To load double twine, double the length in the middle, hook it over the prong and load as normal.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Check yourself

1. In which direction do you always knit?
2. What is creasing, and what is bating?
3. Why must the knot not slip below the loop?

Competency standard

Range. Practice netting with cut tears and holes; one real net from a canoe owner. Evidence. Mended samples; repair record; observation.

Why mend at once

Check nets for holes after every use and mend them straight away, because small holes grow. Fish escape through holes, and a torn net is weaker everywhere around the tear.

The rule of four bars

In good netting, every knot has four bars going to it. Only knots on the edge have fewer. A knot never has five.

Around a hole, some knots have lost one bar and have only three. These are called three-leggers. You start a mend on a three-legger and finish on a three-legger. Your needle twine becomes the missing fourth bar.

To find a three-legger, lift the knot on one finger and count the twines that go from it to other knots. A loose end hanging free does not count.

Mending a simple tear (bars cut along a row)

1. Lay the netting flat and find the run of the twine.
2. Find the two three-leggers at the ends of the tear.
3. Tie a double sheet bend on the starting three-legger.
4. Work along the tear, tying a sheet bend on each mesh in turn: lower half-mesh, then upper half-mesh, and so on. Judge each bar's length by eye so it matches the meshes around it.
5. Finish with a double sheet bend on the other three-legger.

If the two three-leggers are at different heights, start at the upper one and work across.

Trimming a hole before mending

Real holes are ragged. Before you mend, trim:

1. Lay the netting out and find the run of the twine.
2. Start at the top of the hole. Leave one three-legger to start on.
3. Work down one side, cutting out the other three-leggers. Where two three-leggers meet, cut between them so both go.
4. Go back to the top and do the same down the other side.
5. You should end with one three-legger at the bottom to finish on.

Two trimming rules:

• Knots in the pickups (top and bottom meshes) are cut out completely.
• Knots in a sider must not be cut out, or the netting separates. Leave the ends of sider knots at least 1 cm long so they do not untie.

Mending a small rectangular hole

1. Tie a double sheet bend on the starting three-legger.
2. Tie a sheet bend on the upper meshes (pickups).
3. Go down the side with sider knots.
4. Tie sheet bends on the lower meshes.
5. Finish with a double sheet bend on the finishing three-legger.

Big holes. For a large hole, cut the hole square and knit in a new piece of netting of the same mesh size. You will learn proper patching in Level 2.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check yourself

1. How many bars go to a normal knot inside a net?
2. What is a three-legger, and why do you need one?
3. Which knots must never be cut out when trimming?

Competency standard

Range. Nets, ropes and floats at the training beach; one canoe's gear. Evidence. Gear checklist; storage demonstration.

Daily care of nets

1. Pick out fish, weed, crabs and rubbish after every haul.
2. Check for holes and mend at once (Unit 5).
3. Rinse off sand and mud where fresh water is available (general practice, not verified).
4. Dry in the shade where possible. The sun's rays do the most damage to synthetic netting.
5. Stack neatly, away from nails and sharp wood.
6. Cover stored nets. Monofilament nets are stiff and can blow away, so they must be boxed or covered; but remember, monofilament set nets are banned in the sea (Unit 2).
7. No fire, no fuel. Keep nets away from cooking fires, premix and engine oil.

Floats and sinkers

• Floats and sinkers should be round and smooth so they do not catch the netting; floats should have equal buoyancy and sinkers equal weight.
• Make sure each net has enough floats and sinkers. Keep wooden floats tarred or painted, and plug bottle floats tightly.
• Use natural-fibre twine (cotton or hemp) to tie sinkers on bottom nets, so that if the net is lost the twine rots and the net is less likely to keep fishing.
• Count floats and sinkers after each trip. Replace lost ones at the same spacing.

Ropes

• Whip or seal every rope end (Unit 3).
• Look for worn, cut, sun-faded or stiff sections. A rope that is badly worn at one spot can fail at sea; replace or splice it (Level 2).
• Keep ropes coiled and off the sand when not in use (general practice, not verified).
• A canoe without a motor must carry a chain cable and nylon rope of 24 to 30 mm.

Canoe gear checklist

Use this list before each trip (built from Unit 1 and the law; your canoe owner may add more):

Canoe identification card. The Fisheries Commission issues a canoe identification card with a QR code; it shows the canoe's name, length, village, gear type and whether it has a motor, and is checked during patrols and when premix fuel is allocated. Under Act 1146, a marine canoe licence also shows the identification of the canoe's fishing gear.

Check yourself

1. What does the most damage to synthetic nets?
2. Why tie sinkers on with natural-fibre twine?
3. Name three items on the canoe gear checklist.

Competency standard

Range. The trainee's own plan. Evidence. Costing sheet; one-page plan.

Location settings that give good returns

Ask the chief fisherman and landing-beach committee before you set up on the beach.

Small business ideas and ingenuity

Price a mending job

Count your costs: twine and materials, your time, and a little extra for your tools, transport and phone.

Market yourself

• Do good work and be on time. Fishers talk; your best advert is a net that holds.
• A simple sign with your name, phone number and "Net mending · Legal nets only".
• WhatsApp Business: a free app with a business profile and catalogue. Post before-and-after photos of mends (ask the owner first).
• Google Business Profile: a free listing that shows on Google Maps.
• Referrals: ask the chief fisherman and satisfied owners to recommend you.
• Keep a record of every job: owner, net, date, price, paid or not.

Accessibility

Net mending is mostly seated hand work, so many persons with disabilities can do it well. The Persons with Disability Act 2006 (Act 715) protects their right to work. District Assemblies' disability fund rose to 5% in 2026 and is aimed at skills training, assistive devices and start-up capital; ask your Assembly's disability desk.

Our suggestions (not sourced; confirm with the learner):

Check yourself

1. Name two good places to set up a mending business.
2. What three things go into the cost of a job?
3. Name two ways to market yourself.

1. Name three items the law asks a powered canoe under 7 m to carry.
2. What is the smallest legal mesh for any net in Ghana?
3. What is the smallest legal mesh for a multifilament set net in the sea?
4. Is a monofilament set net allowed in the sea?
5. Name three banned fishing methods.
6. How do you measure a mesh the legal way?
7. Name the parts of a netting needle.
8. Which knot starts and finishes a mend?
9. How do you add a mesh in a row?
10. What is a three-legger?
11. Why dry nets in the shade?
12. Name two ways to market a mending business.

Best next reads: Practical Twinework for Fishermen and Gear Technologists (University of Rhode Island); FAO's Fishing with bottom gillnets; the Fisheries Regulations, 2010 (L.I. 1968) and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146); the hub's Fish Smoking and Processing, Fish Farming and Outboard Motor Repair.

What this module does not cover: hanging (mounting) nets, floats and sinkers sums, rope splices, patching and big seine repair (see Level 2); building whole nets to order, supervising menders and running a gear business (see Level 3); boat building, outboard engines, fish handling and processing.

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.