To ensure that the conservation regulations which govern fishing gears are effective, they must be based on an understanding of the process by which fish are selected. The region where most fish selection is considered to take place is the cod-end, the aftmost part of a trawl net and the region where the catch accumulates. In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that fish selection in the cod-end is dependent on a range of physical, environmental and fish behavioural parameters. Essential to a study of any of these parameters is a knowledge of the cod-end geometry which is determined by the interaction of the water flow, the catch size and the design and physical characteristics of the netting. In this thesis a continuum model of the deformation of a class of axisymmetric networks is developed where the mesh elements are reflection symmetric, the mesh bars are extensible and where arbitrary membrane forces act in the plane of the net, normal to the edges of the mesh elements. When applied to the fishing industry this provides a continuum model of the geometry of an axisymmetric trawl cod-end made from netting of a generalized mesh shape. It is shown how mesh shapes that are of interest to the fishing industry can be investigated, and the geometry of cod-ends made from diamond shaped mesh under the influence of various types of pressure loads is examined in detail. A qualitative description of the hydrodynamic forces that act on the cod-end catch is presented and it is shown that the predictions based on this description are consistent with experimental results from a series of wind tunnel trials. Using this description of the hydrodynamic forces the effect on cod-end geometry of mesh resistance to opening which arises as a result of twine flexural rigidity is examined.