Norwegian and Uruguayan based fishing firm Pesquera Azul has achieved remarkable success in its trial of a groundbreaking catch protection cage, a development that holds significant promise for the longline fishing industry grappling with the challenges posed by whale depredation.
In the subantarctic fishing grounds of the southern Indian Ocean, the rising whale population poses a grave concern for the longline fishing sector, particularly for fatty fish species. Whales have acquired the skill of snatching fish such as Black cod, halibut, and Patagonia toothfish directly from the hooks as the lines are reeled in, and they pass on this behavior to their offspring. In regions heavily frequented by whales, including South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, the Prince Edwards Islands Exclusive Economic Zone in South Africa, and east of the Kerguelen Islands in Australia, depredation has reached such a critical level that it jeopardizes the economic viability of fishing operations.
Addressing the pressing need for a sustainable solution, Arne Birkeland, CEO of Pasquera Azul, stated, “If you’re losing 75% of your catch, you have to do a lot more fishing to meet your quota. Ships have to cover extensive distances to evade whales, resulting in higher fuel costs and increased emissions. Additionally, it is detrimental to fish stocks, considering that toothfish take around 15 years to reach maturity. So, as an industry, we urgently require a sustainable solution. The shared challenge is finding a way to meet catch quotas in the shortest time possible without causing distress to whales through sonic or other deterrent methods.”
For the past five years, Pasquera Azul has been actively involved in the development and testing of a patented solution to this problem. Designed by the Norwegian company SagoSolutions AS, the solution incorporates a lightweight aluminum catch cage that is affixed to the end of a line during deployment and retracts along the line during retrieval. Fish caught on hooks are safely enclosed within the cage, which can be either hoisted back onto the ship or received directly into the vessel through a moon-pool extension module, a development also assisted by Pasquera Azul. Besides safeguarding the catch from whale depredation, the cage enhances catch retention, especially in rough seas, compared to the conventional method where a substantial portion of the catch is lost.
During this year’s toothfish season in the Prince Edward Islands fishery, the company conducted additional live tests of the catch cages on its fishing vessel FV Ocean Azul, the sole ship globally equipped with this technology. In a test that involved a large pod of killer whales circling the ship, three lines were set using cages, while one line was set conventionally without a cage. The lines with cages yielded between 90 and 100 fish each, in stark contrast to just five smaller fish caught on the latter line. This unequivocally demonstrates the effectiveness of both the whales and the cage protection.
Arne Birkeland remarked, “The exceptional results from all the tests decisively prove the efficacy of the technology. With continuous improvements, we are confident we can achieve a near- 100% catch rate. This will enable fishing once again in waters where an increasing proportion of the catch is lost to whales.”
Inspectors who were present throughout the testing program will compile a report for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), set to be published later in the autumn.
Birkeland noted, “The technology has garnered significant interest from fishing authorities seeking ways to enhance the sustainability of the longline fleet. Some competitors may be inclined to downplay our solution for this reason. We clearly possess a firstmover advantage, as other companies will need to invest time and resources in developing their own viable systems.” Birkeland and his team’s immediate priority is to continue advancing the company, actively seeking new partners and investors to maximize opportunities for efficient energy and resource utilization.
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