Government and industry work to grow innovation in commercial fishing
Supporting fishers to stay at the forefront of fishing gear and methods was the focus of a series of eight workshops recently held across the country.
This collaboration between Fisheries New Zealand, Seafood New Zealand, Moana New Zealand and the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen brought fishers together to share ideas on more selective and efficient fishing practices, with reducing environmental impacts.
Mark Geytenbeek, from Fisheries New Zealand’s Sector Support & Innovation team, a co-facilitator of the workshops says as an island nation, our oceans and fisheries are important to all New Zealanders.
“Our marine environment is of cultural significance to tangata whenua, provides food for our families and jobs in the regions, and it’s a place for recreation. We all want a healthy marine environment that continues to provide now and for future generations, and a key part of this is using the most effective and efficient fishing practices”.
Workshop attendees were presented with information about new developments and innovations for commercial fishing. Representatives from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) talked about fishing gear adaptions such as drafting gates in nets, different materials and escapement sizes and shape it has tested for innovative fishers from the North Island east coast and new gear technology being developed internationally.
Fishers also heard about FloMo – which is the name of new modular fish harvesting technology developed by Precision Seafood Harvesting. FloMo allows improved targeting by allowing small and unwanted fish to escape through strategically placed escape holes, and its design means fish that are harvested are in better, high-quality condition. Although still at pre-commercialisation stage, developers and fishers alike are excited about the improved quality of the fish and increased selectivity.
Nathan Reid from Moana New Zealand says, “Our contract fishers have been involved in the development of FloMo from the get go so it’s no surprise they are among the first innovative fishers to use this technology.
“Like with all new innovations, a lot has been learnt along the way and it’s great to see this technology get to the point where it is ready for full deployment. We have definitely seen an uplift in product quality and the improved selectivity, like letting the little ones swim away, is better for sustainability of fish stocks and saves inefficiency in processing.”
For decades, fishers have been making adjustments to gear and methods to reduce fishing impacts on the marine environment, and focusing on adaptions that allow them to fish more selectively to avoid bycatch species and keep their catch sustainable. The workshops provided a valuable opportunity for fishers to share experiences with gear and technology innovations they’ve trialled, including what is working – and what isn’t.
Fishers were also keen to know about how they can use data insights – from electronic catch and position reporting, as well as from on-board cameras – to help improve their practices. Nathan Hines a Timaru fisher felt the workshop he attended was ‘very good [and he] is looking forward to upcoming projects.’
“While there is no one size fits all innovation idea out there, the workshops were a great opportunity for fishers to talk about innovation that takes into account the behaviour of different fish species and the potential modifications to the fishing gear used”, says Carol Scott from Southern Inshore Fisheries Management Company.
‘The workshops proved to be very worthwhile and promoted great collaboration between Fisheries New Zealand and industry. They were a great initiative for fishers to share their knowledge and hear what others are doing. We would like to see these run again in the future’ says Doug Saunders-Loder from the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen.
While there are challenges, fishers are positive about opportunities for the fishing industry to innovate more. ‘Collaboration within the industry and partnerships to bring in expertise and investment are going to be key to increasing innovation within the sector,’ says Tiff Bock from Seafood NZ.
Some of the larger fishing companies are already exploring opportunities to test new ideas including the possibility of using artificial intelligence for more selective fishing. We’re pleased to hear the project team is looking to set up a platform for fishers to share information and ideas like this.
Our kiwi fishers have lots of great ideas but we’re a small nation and to bring big transformational change we need to be working together and these workshops were a step in the right direction.
Anyone interested in hearing more about innovation across the fishing sector should get in touch with [email protected].
