Knowing what goes on below the surface of the ocean is key to getting it right in the business of fishing gear, according to Vónin managing director Hjalmar Petersen. A case in point, the recent success of a new trawl model for blue whiting and horse mackerel was initiated as a challenge: identify and neutralize any unwanted contra-flows that can lead fish to escape through the large meshes of a pelagic trawl.
Its all about effective design, Mr Petersen explained, and the key factor is the way the netting is cut to minimize water resistance and get the flow right all the way down to the codends, eliminating any cross-flows inside the gear that can occur along the edges of trawl bellies.
Together with computer design processes, the use of underwater cameras to monitor how gears and fish behave under real conditions has long contributed to Vónins R&D programs. The company currently cooperates with the Faroese Fisheries Laboratory in funding PhD student Fróði Skúvadals research into the dynamics of water flows and fish behavior in connection with trawling.
All design and development takes place with direct participation of skippers and fishermen, Mr Petersen pointed out. Most of our customers are skippers and so are many of our staff. We speak the same language and in many ways share the same goals.
Having stayed very much at the forefront of the fishing gear business, Vónin is noting an increase in overseas business which could be necessary for future growth.
Our 1920 pelagic trawl, used for blue whiting and horse mackerel, has proved to be highly effective and we are seeing orders for this trawl from operators fishing on various species in the southern Pacific.
At the same time, we have a highly competitive environment and as North Atlantic fishing fleets are being reduced, we will need to start looking elsewhere.
Vónins origins go back to 1969 when a group of trawlermen clubbed together to mend their own fishing gear on the quayside. Their work was of such a high standard and yielded such convincing results that they were repeatedly asked to fix other peoples gear as well. As this mushroomed they organized themselves to establish a proper net loft in Fuglafjörður.
Today Vónin is one of the most prominent fishing gear designers and suppliers in the North Atlantic region, with a strong presence in Greenland and Canada as well as its home market in the Faroe Islands.
Recent developments include the 2007 shrimp trawl model that was tested in East Greenland last spring a resounding success with many shrimp trawlers eager to take advantage of the new designs good towing characteristics and lighter ground contact.
This has been combined with work on sorting grids where a curved concept with hydrodynamic properties is fast replacing the conventional straight grid pattern. In no time, virtually every trawler in the Greenland offshore shrimp fishery has switched to the new Vónin design in preference to the old grid which would easily become blocked during tows, preventing catch from reaching the codends.
The result is a tangible improvement in the catch rate, according to sales and marketing manager Eystein Elttör. Instead of bars running straight from top to bottom, we have produced them in a more hydrodynamic shape, with curves at both ends to give an uninterrupted flow of water. We feel that we have solved the problem of grid blockages and now everything reaching the grid either goes through to the codend or is sorted out of the trawl.
In the overall scheme of things, a growing requirement for less invasive fishing gear and lighter ground contact is being noted; and more urgently, the need to reduce fuel consumption inasmuch as oil prices look set to stay high.
Vónins net loft in Tórshavn, opened several years ago for the construction of shrimp trawls and bottom gear, is now to be followed by a new pelagic net loft on reclaimed ground on the north side of the Fuglafjörður harbor. With construction scheduled to commence in 2009, the new hall will have the 100-meter working area needed for handling the large meshes of pelagic trawls. While expecting to sell the old premises in Fuglafjörður, Vónin will hold onto the present purse seine storage facilities there with its 32 eight-meter deep containers that the pelagic fleet relies on for keeping nets safe from sunlight and rodents a precaution that pays as time consuming and costly repairs are avoided.
Link to pdf presentation
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
