Scanmar says it will launch a whole new generation of sensors with improved technology and new options for users in autumn.
The user will be able to define the update speed, depending on the fishing grounds, and can determine the operating time by reprogramming the sensor on board.
Better battery technology will increase operation time up to four times with the current update speed and the next stage will provide up to four times as much again. Scanmar says trials demonstrate that the present transmission output in most cases is 'overkill'. It says that reducing the current output by half will be sufficient for by far the majority of users. On the power front, it says that, at the moment, users are re-charge once a day. The power management will initially only require charging once a week and after that, once a month. More and longer power means more functionality.
Angle sensors which can be incorporated in all the sensors will allow users to obtain information about whether the cod end is getting twisted, rising or sinking. This in turn affects fish influx, trawl stability and motion through the water for the headline, the net ceiling or backwards into the shell -- problems with these can impair the trawl's fishing capability.
