Purse seine fishing has developed rapidly in inshore and offshore fisheries in many parts of the world. The ecological balance and energy crisis are receiving increasing attention, together with the strict management of fisheries, growing energy consumption, and scientific and technological developments. Therefore, in this context, the optimal design of the purse seine is a very important issue for the industry. This study summarizes the study approaches used to address the difficult questions about the gear performance of the purse seine (sinking performance, tension force, and geometry), based predominantly on sea trials, model experiments, and dynamic simulations. An optimization strategy for the purse seine is proposed to improve the configuration of the gear and the operational technology, and to optimize the performance of the purse seine gear.