Egersund Trål AS from Norway says that it has been able to get the average fuel cost down as much as 15 per cent and improved the catch rate for large vessels using 20 tonnes of fuel a day during the trawling season. This reduction is due to a new type of material with better hydrodynamic performance, to an improvement of the design of cod ends and much more efficient and cost effective pelagic doors.
It explains that 50,000 m3 of water per second enter the front end of a large trawl. Including wire, bridles, trawl and cod end, the total length from vessel to cod end is 2600 meters and dry weight is approximately 55t.
The Scandinavians also report that they have developed blue withing equipment for extreme weather conditions in the North Atlantic that is able to withstand rough treatment and is light to tow. Being both supplier and producer enables Egersund Trål AS to have total control over the different parts of the pelagic set up and how it works to obtain the best results. Egersund Trål AS is specialised in pelagic and bottom fishing gear but the company group also includes fish farming and purse seine equipment located in Norway and Lithuania. The latest branch is based in Iceland and it is focused on pelagic trawls and purse seines.
