The gannet tracks its prey from the air and catches it by making a so-called jabbing dive. In order to seize its prey, the animal dives straight down into the water from a height of 30 meters. Folding its wings back and stretching its bill straight down, it reaches a speed close to 100 kilometers per hour, cleaving through the water surface like a living torpedo. The enormous blow is absorbed by a strengthened skull and a protective air cushion under the skin, a kind of airbag. Once under water it continues its hunt, first plunging through the first four meters and then swimming after the frightened fish.

Just like other large seabirds, gannets are threatened by longline fisheries, which make use of a line tens of kilometers long, equipped with thousands of baited hooks. Longline fisheries fish for tuna and swordfish. Birds are lured to the bait and get caught on the hook. Other fishing techniques can also form a threat to gannets.
Gannets are also susceptible to marine litter. A fishing crate containing three gannets washed ashore on Terschelling in August 2005. Because the birds need space to spread their wings in order to catch the wind and take flight, they were unable to get out of the crate. In November of that year, a gannet entangled in kite-surfing equipment washed ashore on Texel.