Piscaria is the legal right of fishing in certain waters. Free fishery meant the right to fish from royal grant. Several fishery meant the right to fish derived from ownership of soil. Common of fishery meant the right of fishing in another man's water. Common fishery was the right of all to fish in public waters. A piscaria was also a physical fishing establishment where fish are caught - a fish weir (gurges). The tidal part of the Tyne from Crawcrook to Tynemouth was divided lengthwise into three portions. That on the north side belonged to Northumberland, that to the south to the See of Durham, and the middle part was common and free to all. There were constant disputes concerning illegal expansion of weirs. The Prior of Tynemouth was accused of impeding the passage of ships to Newcastle with his weirs. After 1540 and the end of monastic power the burgesses of Newcastle took down the weirs. Fish were caught at the weirs by boat and net or by fish traps attached to weirs. Stall nets were stationary nets laid across a river, especially for catching sprats. Stilche ropes and draught ropes (for pulling or dragging) were also used. Sweep nets had one end fixed at the shore and the other taken out in a boat, rowed around in a half circle then brought back to shore entrapping fish. A stake net was attached to stakes driven into the river bed. These couldn't be used in deep water. Kiddles were a v-shaped series of stakes with a large net placed at the apex. They were left permanently in place until the stakes decayed or were destroyed by the tide. The deepening of the River Tyne by the Tyne Commissioners in the late C19 started the end of the Tyne fishing industry {V.E. Watts 1988; W. Yarrell, 1835-9, A History of British Fishes, Vol 2, p 23}.

Piscaria is the legal right of fishing in certain waters. Free fishery meant the right to fish from royal grant. Several fishery meant the right to fish derived from ownership of soil. Common of fishery meant the right of fishing in another man's water. Common fishery was the right of all to fish in public waters. A piscaria was also a physical fishing establishment where fish are caught - a fish weir (gurges). The tidal part of the Tyne from Crawcrook to Tynemouth was divided lengthwise into three portions. That on the north side belonged to Northumberland, that to the south to the See of Durham, and the middle part was common and free to all. There were constant disputes concerning illegal expansion of weirs. The Prior of Tynemouth was accused of impeding the passage of ships to Newcastle with his weirs. After 1540 and the end of monastic power the burgesses of Newcastle took down the weirs. Fish were caught at the weirs by boat and net or by fish traps attached to weirs. Stall nets were stationary nets laid across a river, especially for catching sprats. Stilche ropes and draught ropes (for pulling or dragging) were also used. Sweep nets had one end fixed at the shore and the other taken out in a boat, rowed around in a half circle then brought back to shore entrapping fish. A stake net was attached to stakes driven into the river bed. These couldn't be used in deep water. Kiddles were a v-shaped series of stakes with a large net placed at the apex. They were left permanently in place until the stakes decayed or were destroyed by the tide. The deepening of the River Tyne by the Tyne Commissioners in the late C19 started the end of the Tyne fishing industry {V.E. Watts 1988; W. Yarrell, 1835-9, A History of British Fishes, Vol 2, p 23}.