DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS 1583  
First Edition  
2013-mm-dd 
 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS 1583 : 2013 
© UNBS 2013   
  
Fishing nets — Specification 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 1583: 2013  
ii © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2013   
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala 
Uganda 
Tel: 256 414 505 995 
Fax: 256 414 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 1583: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda.  UNBS is mandated to co-ordinate the 
elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agreements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
Committee membership 
The following organisations were represented under the Standards Technical Committee, UNBS/TC 7, during 
the development of this standard: 
 Busitema University 
 Kyambogo University 
 Labx Scientific 
 Phenix Logistics (U) Ltd 
 Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries 
 Uganda Fishnet Manufacturers Ltd 
 Uganda Fish Processors and Exporters Association 
 Uganda Industrial Research Institute 
 Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDDRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFINAL DRAF T UGANDA STANDARD  FDUS 1583 : 2013  
 
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  1 
 Fishing nets — Specification  
1 Scope 
This Final Draft Uganda Standard specifies the requirements and methods of test for fishing nets. 
2 Normative references 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies. 
ISO 1805, Fishing nets —Determination of breaking force and knot breaking fo rce of netting yarns  
ISO 1973, Textile fibres -- Determination of linear density -- Gravimetric method and vibroscope method  
ISO 3790, Fishing nets — Determination of elongation of netting yarns  
ISO 5079 , Textile fibres — Determination of breaking force and elongation at break of individual fibres  
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions shall apply. 
3.1 
half mesh 
distance from the centre of one knot to the centre of the next knot in the square mesh 
3.2 
full mesh 
distance from the centre of one knot to the next in the diagonally stretched mesh state 
4 Requirements 
4.1 Twines 
The twines used in the manufacture of fishing nets shall be made of synthetic multifilament fibres. 
4.2 Dimensional stability of m esh 
The twine used in the manufacture of fishing nets shall not shrink or stretch by more than 3 % after immersion 
in saline water for 24 h at room temperature.  
Saline water shall contain about 3.5 % by weight of salt ( sodium chloride ). This solution is prepared by 
dissolving 35 g of NaCl into 1L of water DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 1583: 2013  
2 © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
  
4.3 Mesh size 
The mesh size shall be determined in accordance with A nnex  A. The mesh minimum sizes shall be in 
accordance with Uganda Fish (Fishing) Rules, 2010. 
4.4 Linear density 
The linear density of the twine shall be as declared subject to a tolerance of 5 % when determined in 
accordance with ISO 1973.  
4.5 Breaking strength of twine 
The average breaking load of twine shall be as specified in Table 1 when determined in accordance with 
Annex C. Each individual test value shall be at least 90 % of the minimum breaking strength given in Table 1. 
4.6 Elongation at break 
The average elongation at break of the twine shall be as specified in Table 1 when determined in accordance 
with ISO 5079. No individual test value shall be more than 10 % of the maximum given in Table 1. 
Table 1 — Breaking load of twine and elongation at breaking load 
Twine construction  Breaking load,  wet*, min.,  
N  Elongation at break , wet*, max.,  
% 
Nylon multifilament twine tex/plies  
23/2 
23/6 
23/9 
23/21   
25 
75 
100 
240  
30 
35 
40 
40 
Polyethylene  
42/6 
42/0 
42/12  
42/24   
115.0  
155.0  
196.0  
325  
40 
45 
50 
55 
Method of test  ISO 5079  ISO 5079  
* „Wet‟ shall mean that the test specimen has been immersed in sea water  without wetting agents at  25 ºC ± 2 ºC 
for at least 12 h  surplus water shall be shaken off.  
NOTE  1 kgf = 9.80 Newtons  
4.7 Mesh breaking l oad 
The average mesh breaking load of the net shall be as given in Table 2 when determined in accordance with 
ISO 1805.  
Table 2 — Mesh breaking load 
Net construction  Mesh breaking load, wet *, min.,  
N 
Nylon multifilament nets  [Tex x mesh size (mm) ]  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS  1583: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  3 
 23/2 x 45  
23/6 x 65  
23/6 x 121  
23/6 x 127  
23/9 x 7  
23/21 x 102  30 
80 
90 
110 
110 
290 
Polyethylene nets [Tex/plies x size (mm )] 
42/6 x 32  
42/6 x 45  
42/9 x 45  
42/12 x 45  
42/24 x 152   
90 
100 
140 
120 
350 
Method of test  ISO 1805  
* „Wet‟ shall mean that the test specimen has been immersed in sea water  without wetting agent s at  25 ºC ± 2 ºC 
for at least 12 h  surplus water shall be shaken off.  
5 Packaging 
Fishing nets shall be packed in such a manner as to prevent soiling and damage. 
6 Labelling 
The following information shall be printed on a sheet of paper accompanying a package of fishing nets: 
a) name of the product shall be “Fishing nets”;  
b) manufacturer‟s name or registered trade mark ; 
c) twine specification; 
d) fibre content of the net twine; 
e) nominal mesh size; 
f) length and depth of the net; 
g) colour of netting ;  
h) for coloured net, the type of dye (s) used shall be specified and shall not be among the banned dyes; 
i) date of manufacture; 
j) instructions for care and disposal of nets; and 
k) the inscription „Made in Uganda ‟ or name of country of origin for imported net.  
 
 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 1583: 2013  
4 © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
 Annex A 
(normative) 
 
Measurement of mesh size 
A.1 Principle 
The distance from knot to knot in a square mesh configuration or stretched mesh configuration shall be taken 
to give the size of half mesh or full mesh respectively. 
A.2 Apparatus 
One of the following measuring devices shall be used to measure mesh size: 
a) Allen net rule; 
b) Hovey gauge; 
c) Selkirk gauge; 
d) flexible rule; and 
e) straight rule. 
A.3 Preparation 
Immerse the fishing net sample in „sea‟ water  without wetting agents at 25 °C ± 2 °C for at least 12 h. Shake 
off surplus wate r. 
A.4 Procedure  
A.4.1 Take the distance in millimetres, from the centre of one knot to the next in the square mesh condition. 
Repeat the measurement for 11 other meshes selected at random. 
A.4.2 Measure the distance in millimetres from the centre of one knot to the next in the stretched mesh state 
using just sufficient force to remove kinks. Repeat the measurement for 11 other meshes selected at random.  
NOTE See Figure 1. 
A.5 Calculation and expression of results 
A.5.1 Full mesh size is the average of the measurements in A.4.2. 
A.5.2 Half mesh size is the average of measurements taken in A.4.1. Full mesh size = Half mesh size times 
2.  See figure below.  
 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS  1583: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  5 
  
.
  DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 1583: 2013  
6 © UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  
 Annex B 
(normative) 
 
Determination of linear density of twines 
B.1 Principle 
Certain length of twine shall be weighed in milligrams and its length in centimetres determined. Its linear 
density shall be calculated from the two measurements. 
B.2 Apparatus 
B.2.1 Weighing balance , capable of measuring in milligrams 
B.2.2 Apparatus  in A.2 above 
B.3 Preparation 
Unravel 10 pieces of twine from the netting each measuring at least 15 cm. Apply just sufficient force to 
remove kinks in the twine pieces. 
B.4 Procedure 
B.4.1 Measure the length of each piece in centimetres to the nearest millimetre. 
B.4.2 Measure the mass of each twine piece to the nearest milligram. 
B.5 Calculation and expression of results 
B.5.1 Linear density of each twine piece in tex shall be calculated from the following formula: 
Tex = 100 m/I 
where 
l is the length, in centimetres, of the piece; and 
m is the mass, in milligrams, of piece. 
B.5.2 Linear density of the netting twine = the average tex of the ten pieces. DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS  1583: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  7 
 Annex C 
(normative) 
 
Determination of breaking strength of twine 
C.1 Principle 
A piece of twine is subjected to tensile loading until it breaks. The load at which it breaks shall be noted and 
recorded as breaking strength. 
C.2 Preparation 
Retrieve the twine pieces used in Annex B for this test. 
C.3 Procedure 
Determine the breaking strength of each piece using ISO 5079 but using gauge length of 10 cm. 
C.4 Calculation and expression of results 
C.4.1 Take the average breaking strength of the 10 twine pieces. 
C.4.2 The breaking strength of the netting twine shall be the average in C.4.1.  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDDRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS  1583: 2013  
© UNBS 2013  – All rights reserved  9 
 Certification marking 
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARDFDUS 1583 : 2013    
 
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