In the khlong (canal) near our house there are a handful of these elaborate net mechanisms. A huge pipe frame supports a shallow, square net with twenty foot sides. A carefully balanced fulcrum allows the net to be lowered into the water where it sits for a few minutes. By leaning on the pivot point the net can be easily lifted- an eight year boy was running it this day- allowing boats to pass and securing the catch, usually two or three small fish. A long-handled net expertly handled extracts the catch. Elsewhere on the canal several men stood with spear guns patiently waiting for enticing swirls before launching a volley of barbs into the water to come up empty. One man's wife explained that he had been fishing this way for months and had spiked only one tiny fish, too small even to eat.