UK TECHNOLOGY SET TO TACKLE $2.6BN FISHERIES INDUSTRY ‘GHOST NET’ CRISIS

UK technology set to tackle $2.6bn fisheries industry ‘ghost net’ crisis. Unique UK technology developed specifically for the fisheries industry is set to help address the significant costs and environmental harm caused by lost ‘ghost’ fishing nets.

Created by world-leading fisheries and security applications firm Succorfish, MyGearTag is a state-of-the-art acoustic location device that uses miniaturised modem technology to enable fishing boats to find lost nets, pots and traps over a range of up to three kilometres.

Crafted entirely from recycled fishing nets and weighing just 500 grammes, MyGearTag can be fitted onto new equipment as part of the manufacturing process or retrofitted to fishing boats’ existing gear.

After successfully completing trials in the North Sea and the Arabian Sea on Newcastle University’s Research Vessel Princess Royal, Succorfish introduced MyGearTag at the recent Scottish Skipper Expo in Aberdeen and is now working on finalising distribution and reseller agreements with a number of potential partners right around the world.

Developed in partnership with Newcastle University’s Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the pan-European NETTAG+ project, using grant funding provided by UK Research & Innovation and the European Union, MyGearTag is manufactured in the UK and assembled at Succorfish’s North Tyneside headquarters.

Chad Hooper, founder and CEO at Succorfish, says:

“Fishing equipment can be lost for any number of reasons, and unless its owners know where it’s gone, it can be almost impossible to find it again.

“Industry figures suggest that between half a million and one million tonnes of fishing gear is lost at sea around the world every year, at a financial cost of around $2.6bn, while every hour that a vessel spends looking for lost equipment is an hour that it isn’t fishing.

“This makes for a ‘double whammy’ in terms of financial impact, and with many operators already working on very tight margins, any loss of equipment can have massive consequences for their business.

“MyGearTag allows for lost fishing nets, pots and traps to be quickly located over a wide area, thus avoiding the substantial cost of replacing them, reducing the amount of plastic in our oceans and preventing any damage being caused to marine life.

“There is nothing on the market like MyGearTag in terms of its size, cost, low power use and effectiveness, and we’re hugely excited about the prospects for its adoption by the commercial fishing industry right around the world.”

Each MyGearTag unit is registered to its user with a unique ID, meaning other people are not able to locate it if it gets lost, while an easy-to-use app providing the directional tool required to enable owners to find their missing equipment.

The technology is housed in a robust enclosure to protect it from the water and currents, while its ultra-low power requirements mean it can be run on four interchangeable AA batteries for up to six months.

Neil Armstrong, master of the Research Vessel Princess Royal, adds: “The MyGearTag kit confirmed that our equipment was still where it should be, despite having been unable to grapple it after previously sweeping the area.

“With the precise location plotted, I was able to confidently target the location directly and picked up the lost gear within a couple of minutes on the first sweep.”

Chad Hooper continues:

“From a sustainability point of view, the low-level noise that MyGearTag emits has been specifically designed to minimise any impact on the underwater environment, while working with the Ocean Material Group to manufacture the casing from recycled fishing nets adds an extra dimension to its environmental effectiveness.

“We’ve already had a great deal of interest from potential customers across the fisheries industry, from net manufacturers through to end users, and we’re now working towards building a global network of distributors and resellers that will take this technology out to all those fishing industry businesses that would benefit from adopting it.”