The tangle net originated in British Columbia, Canada, as a gear specifically developed for selective fisheries.
Dropped to the bottom of the ocean, located and retrieved through the use of a guide line and buoy, these nets have allowed both fishermen and scientists to reach areas not previously accessible.
Tangle nets are generally left on the bottom for no more than a day or two so that the fish and bycatch does not die and spoil.
[citation needed] For the last two decades tangle nets have been set in deep water near steep underwater cliffs off many islands in the Philippines by local fishermen in order to supplement their income through catching commercially valuable mollusks.
The rich species diversity of the Philippine Islands has been explored through the use of tangle nets which are able to obtain specimens from areas not reachable by traditional methods of using trawls and dredges.