The issue on the boat was that there wasn't anything more powerful. It was a fishing boat, and all they had was fishing equipment and manpower. If that was all they had, though, then they decided they were going to make it work.
They reinforced the net, put it back in the water, and all joined together to pull. This time the little bear cub helped by climbing into the net. It was like it finally understood what they were trying to do.