Dyrkorn has opened a new depot in the north Norway port of Båtsfjord to bring its services closer to the area where most of the country’s longlining activity takes place.
Part of the Mørenot Group, one of the biggest fishing gear suppliers in Europe, Dyrkorn has also absorbed its parent company’s gillnet rigging service so that the new depot is expected to be a centre for the needs of hook, trap and net fishermen.
Dyrkorn recently took the ambitious step of manufacturing its own range of hooks after the company found that relying on other suppliers was not secure enough.
The new factory in China makes the new range of hooks, as well as manufacturing a range of other products such as crab pots. According to managing director Kurt Pettersen, there are both drawbacks and advantages to manufacturing in China, as the long sea route to Europe means that forward planning to ensure a steady delivery programme is essential.
So far Dyrkorn has made a successful entry to the Norwegian market with its hooks and very quickly had customers among a good half of the Norwegian autoline fleet while also seeing strong demand from coastal fishermen who use both twisted and monofilament lines.
Pettersen said Dyrkorn plans to continue to expand production of a range of both inline and offset standard hooks in both easy baiter and circle types.
“We have checked and thought through every aspect of the new production, from the sharpness of the hooks to the weight of the boxes they are shipped in. These hooks have been tested on both home and export markets with positive feedback from both,” Pettersen said.
He said that not every hook is the same and the tempering of the hooks during the manufacturing process is a delicate balance that depends partly on the grounds they are to be used on.
While hooks need to have strength, they also need to be pliable enough to be quickly reset if they are bent out of shape.
Dyrkorn also supplies a hand tool that the company has developed specifically for resetting bent hooks.
