New Marine Conservation Development
Becky Ingham, who worked with the RSPB, is now General Manager of Hookpod Ltd, tells us that her company has designed, developed and are now trialling a unique fishing device called the Hookpod that should prove to be a great asset to marine conservation as it can be employed to stop albatross and other seabirds being caught as by-catch on tuna longlines.
She explains that it works by fixing on the fishing line and enclosing the barb of the hook in a plastic sealed unit, which only opens and deploys the hook when it reaches a certain pre-set depth. When it opens a small bright LED inside switches on, therefore also negating the need for a plastic lightstick — of which thousands are dumped in the worlds oceans every year.
The depth at which it opens can be preset in manufacture, so whilst they are currently setting this at 10m to protect seabirds, it could be employed in much deeper fisheries where the turtle by-catch is an issue, therefore protecting them too.
Trials to date are proving really positive. Catch rates increase (probably due to the brightness of the light) skippers love it and it’s easy and cheaper to use than weights and lights. So it looks like it could prove to be a win-win situation.
Trials are very soon to take place in the seas around Brazil, and a full report will follow.
More details are available from the website http://fishtekmarine.com/hookpod.php where a one minute video on the device can be seen.
