Fishing 2007 saw the launch of a brand new type of creel, invented and designed by Scottish firm Stornoway Plastics. According to the company, the creel is a major technological step forward in creel manufacture and fishing.
The creel is made using a Patented new system. Using the traditional steel frame, the company has invented a series of plastic panels which replace the net and rope currently used. These panels simply clip over the metal frame so can be fitted quickly and easily, offering many advantages to fishermen and to creel manufacturers. Firstly, the plastic panels are made from nylon, which is extremely hard wearing. Rigorous tests have shown that the new creels appear to have several times the abrasion resistance of netted and bound creels. Secondly, any panels that may become damaged can be removed and replaced. This takes away the need to sew damaged creels. Thirdly, there is no need to bind the creels with rope as the steel frame is protected by over 400 solid plastic clips. These and other gains have been achieved while maintaining the strength, weight and size of a traditional creel. This maintains the low tide resistance, easy handling and rigidity of traditional creels but eliminates many of the drawbacks.
The creel has been developed in conjunction with long established Scottish creel manufacturers, Caithness Creels. They have overseen tests of the creel for the last eight months. These tests, carried out across Scotland on different types of seabed, have returned outstanding results. The new creel has totally matched the fishing and retention of traditional creels on both prawn and velvet fisheries. One fisherman reported that there were still prawns in the creel after a lie of three weeks due to bad weather.
There are also some additional features built into the creel that do not feature on a netted creel. There is the option of a removable insert in the entrance ring that allows the size of the eye to be changed from 60mm to 80mm and vice versa in seconds without the use of cable ties or clips. The creel can also be fitted with a soft eye, or with the eye in the top of the creel. There is also a built-in escape panel area in the door which can be cut out to allow small prawns to be released if desired.
