Revolutionary doors from Polar

The idea behind these revolutionary doors, where each wing can be controlled individually, is to control the water flow through the trawl doors and guide the trawl doors and the complete fishing gear to a preferable position in the sea for the most effective fishing results.

The trawl doors are constructed from aerodynamic shaped wings, a total of six wings, three on each section, the upper section and the lower section. By moving the wings or part of the wings of the trawl door, the water flow can be controlled.

During the sea trial on Árni Fridriksson, the Poseidon 4.1m² doors were used to spread an Atlantica 576 hexagonal pelagic trawl from Polar’s Russian partner, Fishering Service. During one tow at 4,8 to 5,0 knots the minimum distance between the doors with all wings open was 54 metres and when all wings were moved closer to each other, a distance of 72 metres was achieved. The vessel has 32mm steel wire and the trawl has 40 metre bridles.

Polar’s owner, Atli Már Jósafatsson, said: “We expect that use of remote controllable trawl doors will have a huge effect of trawl fishing for the benefit of more economical operations and several environmental issues, including reduced fuel consumption; greater catches; less maintenance; and less lost fishing time.”