Trawlcam is a headline mounted camera which, by enabling skippers to visually identify the type of whitefish entering a trawl, will be invaluable in the predominantly mixed fishery Scottish vessels engage in, says Seatronics.
The system has just completed successful commercial fishing trials, after 18 months development, on Peterhead skipper John Buchan’s 30m single rig whitefish trawler, Ocean Venture II. The company started with the initial idea of devising a camera system capable of mounting on single or twin rig trawls nearly two years ago. Seatronics had the hardware in place with other projects related to the oil and gas survey industry. While the operating principle and technique are virtually the same, the electronics used had to be fitted into much smaller housings suitable for mounting on a trawl headline and handling onboard a vessel at sea. These requirements created some interesting challenges that have been overcome.
The Trawlcam system enables the skipper to constantly monitor:
• The footrope (up to 10m from the seabed during trials)
• The belly of the net
• The size and species of fish entering the net