Abstract
Trawls, which are nets towed behind a boat to collect organisms, have been used by fishers for centuries. Trawls can be divided into three categories based on where they sample the water column: surface, midwater, and bottom. They may be divided further by their design and the materials used in their construction. The type of trawl used by researchers is determined by the type of organisms they are collecting and/or which part of the water column they are interested in sampling.