Boats equipped with up to 20 individual lines tow lures behind them at a set speed in order to target particular fish species. The speed, depth, and even color of the lure can be changed depending on the desired catch, when fishing for albacore the lures are towed between 4-8 knots to target those fast moving species. To target salmon, the boats troll with bait, at much slower speeds, and much greater depth. Many trolling vessels range up to hundreds of miles off shore, and on a daily basis it is possible to catch hundreds of fish once you find the large schools.

Traps are a great way of fishing, especially for crustaceans, including crab, lobster, and shrimp. The trap is baited and placed on the seafloor to “soak.” Target species come from the surrounding area to feast on the bait, and when the fisherman hauls the trap up he can then selectively keep the large animals and throw back the smaller ones (or females). This allows for more selective fishing, and improves the sustainability of the overall fishery.

Purse seine is a long wall of netting hung vertically in the water that is used to encircle schools of fish. Seine nets are framed with a floatline at the top and a weighted line at the bottom. Using a drawstring, fishermen can purse the bottom of the net to herd the fish into the center of the net. This technique is used to catch schools of fish that live near the ocean surface.

Rod & reel fishing is practiced by people around the world for recreation and commercial use. This is a highly targeted method of catching specific fish. In many fisheries it allows fishermen to catch fish selectively, reducing bycatch and improving the quality of the fish available to consumers. While it requires more time, the impact and rate of extraction are minimal, which is good for all fish stocks.

Longlining uses a main line with smaller lines attached loaded with baits separated at regular intervals. The main line can be placed near the surface for fish such as albacore tuna and swordfish, or by applying weights it can be laid near the bottom of the seabed for sablefish and rockfish. Longlines can be laid from small rowing boats as well as from larger vessels.

Bottom trawling consists of towing a trawl (fishing net) along the seabed or just above the seabed to catch fish and/or shellfish. The bottom trawl consists of a cone-shaped net body, which traps the catch. The size of the net can be adapted to the vessel size, but trawl boats based in Monterey Bay are usually larger vessels.

Gillnets are vertical curtains of netting suspended by a floatline, which could be anchored to the seabed or allowed to float near the surface. Gillnets are inexpensive and are thus ubiquitous among artisanal fisheries worldwide. The netting is often made of nylon, making them practically invisible to fish, which swim into the netting wall and become entangled.