Scottish company Jackson Trawls has developed a new and gentle pelagic trawl with great potential. This has been achieved using Flume Tank North Sea and its highly skilled staff.
In Scotland, there is strong evidence that Flume Tank North Sea can play a crucial role in the development of innovative fishing equipment.
Jackson Trawls Ltd, based in Peterhead, specializes in designing and supplying top-quality fishing nets, and they've had some remarkable results developing a new pelagic net that's been tested several times in the flume tank in Hirtshals, Denmark.
It all started with the company's desire to help their customers achieve better quality fish, so they in turn could target the Japanese market. There is obviously a large market for fish for sushi here, and this places high demands on quality, as only fish of the highest quality is used for the dish.
This poses a challenge when catching mackerel with a trawl, as some of the fish are damaged and cannot be used for sushi. Jackson Trawls, headed by brothers Stephen and Mark Buchan and 80 percent owned by Hampidjan, decided to do something about this.
“We had a theory that the quality of the fish was declining because they were stressed in the trawl and exposed to turbulence. So, we decided to switch from a diamond-mesh net to a square-mesh net to create more space in the net so that the fish would not be pressed and stressed as much,” says Stephen Buchan.
The flume tank has been crucial
The development of the new pelagic trawl took place, among other things, using Flume Tank North Sea in Hirtshals.
The development process took two to three years, during which Jackson Trawls conducted four tests in the flume tank. Twice they were physically present at the tank, and twice they took advantage of the opportunity to follow the test online, where they could remotely control the cameras themselves.
"It is really valuable to use the flume tank in the development process of a new trawl. You can really see and measure the effect when the net is lowered into the tank, and then you can make the necessary adjustments based on that. It has been crucial to the development of the new, innovative net," says Stephen Buchan.
Drastic improvements
After testing the model several times in the flume tank, they decided to make a full-scale net and test it at sea. It proved to be a great success.
First, they took two trips out to sea with the old trawl with diamond meshes. Here, the proportion of mackerel with blood spots were 10-12 percent of the total catch.
Then they took two trips out to sea with the newly developed trawl with square meshes. Here, the proportion of mackerel with blood spots was only 1-2 percent. The average in subsequent tests has been around 2 percent.
“The new net has really shown remarkable results and has fantastic potential. Mackerel quotas are getting smaller, but the quality of the catch is getting higher, and fishermen can thus earn more money from their catches. The net is ready to be introduced to the market and has already been sold to three vessels,” says Stephen Buchan.
Flume Tank North Sea has created great value
During the development process, Jackson Trawls has benefited greatly from the expertise of Flume Tank North Sea's employees. Both for the manufacture and adjustment of scale models and for testing and demonstration in the tank.
“The employees are very knowledgeable and easy to work with, so it has been a pleasure. Flume Tank North Sea is an excellent facility that has created great value for us,” says Stephen Buchan.
“It's best if we can be present in the test tank ourselves, but if for logistical reasons you can't travel to Hirtshals, the online tool is an excellent alternative.”
Flume Tank North Sea is located at the North Sea Science Park in Hirtshals, Denmark. Anyone with a need or interest can book tests, demonstrations, or training courses at the flume tank.