New electronic net measuring gauges will be in use by UK Marine and Fishery Agency (MFA) officers from 1 September.
They will enable meshes to be measured consistently because they do not rely on the hand pressure applied to the old wedge gauges. This is in response to demand for standardisation and consistency by fisheries inspectors, scientists and the industry.
The Omega gauges have been supplied to all MFA coastal offices and there will be an education period until the end of 2009 to allow all parties to get used to the new equipment.
MFA fishery officers will provide comparative demonstrations with the manual gauges on request from local fishermen’s associations.
The electronic Omega gauge applies a pre-set longitudinal force to the mesh to be measured. Once this force is reached, the exact opening of the gauge is measured automatically with the mesh opening and measuring force shown on a digital display.
The Royal Navy’s three fishery protection vessels, HMS Severn, Tyne, and Mersey have been testing the Omega gauge during sea-based inspections in recent weeks.
