Net color?

I was eating at a chinese restaurant the other day; they type where
you choose the fish you want from a big tank and they net it and cook
it up for you. I picked a nice sea bass, and the guy who's job it was
to get the fish lowered a net into the edge of the tank and just held
it still. It was like any other metal-rimmed black mesh net that you
or I might use when fishing, but the fish went berserk. They thrashed
and slammed into the side of the tank trying to get away, and one big
bass jumped right out of the tank into the adjacent tank. Another guy
yelled something at the chinese guy, who took out the black net and
swapped it for an identical one with yellow mesh. The fish didn't even
react; they instantly calmed down and completely ignored it....even
when he scooped one up. He then went into the adjacent tank and easily
scooped up the fish that had jumped, and put it calmly back into its
own tank.

I've heard that fish cannot see yellow very clearly, when discussing
colors of fly lines, but this was the most graphic illustration of
reaction to a net I have ever seen. I don't know if the fish thought
the big black mass was an octopus, or some other predator, or if they
just didn't see the net, but it makes me wonder about the times I've
had a fish on, and when I lower the net into the water, I have to be
very careful to keep it 'hidden' from the fish so they don't suddenly
run again. I wonder if anyone has ever tried a yellow net, or have
seen varying reactions to nets of different colors. If not, I think
there's a real market for a catch-and-release yellow net based on not
alarming the fish into thrashing around before you release them.

--riverman