enlarge Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The Maine Maritime Museum displays two fishing nets along the Kennebec River. “Nets are particularly interesting in that they are virtually never seen the way they function normally. They are either in a pile on the dock or on the deck of a boat,” said Chris Hall, museum curator.

enlarge Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

The nets are supported by poles put in place by Central Maine Power Co.

IF YOU GO

"NET WORTH: The Rise and Fall of Maine's Fin Fisheries" is on display through Nov. 29 at the Maine Maritime Museum, 243 Washington St., Bath.

FOR INFORMATION, visit www.mainemaritimemuseum.org or call 443-1316.

HOURS ARE 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

ADMISSION is $12 adults, $11 seniors, $9 students and children, free for kids 4 and younger.

BATH — Fishing nets are part of our life along the coast here in Maine.

But unless you're a fish, you never get to see what a net actually looks like when it's fully deployed. An exhibition at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath offers the opportunity to view two large fishing nets from an underwater perspective, except you don't have to get wet.

As part of the exhibition "Net Worth: The Rise and Fall of Maine's Fin Fisheries," the nets hang from telephone poles on the lawn outside the museum.

"A big part of what we can offer people here is the exposure to real stuff, and nets are particularly interesting in that they are virtually never seen the way they function normally. They are either in a pile on the dock or on the deck of a boat," said Chris Hall, museum curator. "They never become a real net until they are underwater, so they are basically invisible to people, including the fishermen who use them."

The two nets on display are a trawl net, which is used for catching cod, haddock, flounder and other groundfish, and a purse seine, commonly used for catching pogies, or menhaden.

The trawl net is used by a dragger. It extends behind the boat and is pulled along the ocean's floor. The purse seine, which got its name because it resembles a purse, hangs like a curtain from the top of the water.

Both nets encompass a large section of the museum's campus.

The trawl net, which looks something like a funnel with a large opening at one that end that tapers down, is about 100 feet long and up to 30 feet tall. The purse seine is about 40 feet tall, with a perimeter of about 250 feet.

Both nets were used in local waters and donated by fishermen. Saco fisherman Craig Pendleton, who has gotten out of the fishing business because of the bad economy, donated the trawl net.

Brian Tarbox of North Yarmouth donated the purse seine, which was originally built and used by Tommy Coffin of Harpswell.

Displaying the nets was challenge, Hall said. He enlisted the services of Central Maine Power and On Target Utility Services to set the poles. Hall and another museum employee spent most of a week hanging the nets.

The exhibition, which includes displays inside the museum, is open through Nov. 29. Hall is not sure how long the nets will stay up, however.

"As the leaves begin to blow and freezing rain starts to fall out of the sky, it would be logical to say that the nets will be up through Columbus Day. But I can't say with certainty how far into the colder weather we'll be able to keep them up," he said.

Certainly, fall is an important time for tourism in Maine, and in particular at the Maine Maritime Museum, said Amy Lent, the museum's executive director. July and August are the museum's busiest months, but fall attendance has been up about 20 percent in recent years.

She hopes people will come to Bath to see the nets and the rest of the exhibition.

"Chris tries to incorporate a 'wow' factor into every changing exhibit he mounts – something that will leave visitors with a feeling of having experienced something really special and learning something new and interesting," she said.

"He's done that in a big way with the fishing net installation, and we've had terrific feedback from visitors. We're not aware of anything like this being done anywhere before, and it's a great example of how we can help people connect to the contemporary maritime industry in Maine in new and unusual ways."

Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at:

bkeyes@pressherald.com