Roffer''s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service has updated its product line which continues to shows why it remains one of the leading companies in providing cost effective oceanographic products for the fishing industry.
The original product ROFFS Fishing Forecasting Analysis remains their best known product and is used worldwide by numerous companies fishing for tuna, swordfish, squid, and pilchard.
The ROFFS Fishing Forecasting Analysis is a combination of a sea surface temperature ocean frontal analysis, and fish finding map that includes a full page text.
Productive
These products are used to locate productive fishing grounds and avoid areas that are mostly likely to be unproductive.
Roffs' map provides a reproduction of the ocean conditions that the staff fisheries oceanographers observe and expect you to find during your fishing trip.
The analysis is the result of studying the ocean conditions for several days using a variety of space satellites, buoys and other data collection platforms.
Text portion is truly unique. As subtle changes in the ocean conditions often have great consequences when locating fish, it provides details on the locations and conditions that will be particularly productive.
Tuna
The product has been so successful in the Spanish tuna purse seining industry off Africa that their clients have stopped using helicopters for spotting. The best areas are clearly indicated based on 26 years of research and development. The favored areas are marked as "hot spot" dots. The number of days that the favorable conditions exist are indicated inside the dots. The longer the conditions are favourable, the greater chance of finding concentrations of fish.
The files sizes of the analyses are small and thus, cost effective for satellite email transmission.
These products allows the captains and fishing masters to make educated decisions at sea and reducing the risk of going the wrong direction and losing valuable time.
They are logical to use and do not require expensive or sophisticated computer hardware or software.
These operational forecast products are all available in colour via email or black and white via standard office facsimile machine.
The new products complement the original and include:
ROFFS Sea Surface Current Analysis: A map of the real-time ocean currents which includes the location of the ocean frontal boundaries.
This product is derived from sea surface height measurements taken from satellite altimetry.
Temperature
ROFFS Sea Surface Temperature Forecast (three day and five day): Depicts the predicted sea surface temperature field after 72 hours and 120 hours based on state of-the science oceanographic forecasting models.
These forecasts are used as a guide to the changes in the location of the water masses and the ocean frontal boundaries.
ROFFS Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly Product: A monthly product that illustrates the difference between the current monthly mean sea surface temperature and the climatological mean. It is useful in understanding the dynamics of the catch and for planning purposes.
ROFFS 200 Meter and 500 Meter Depth Temperature Product: Show the subsurface water temperature.
This helps determine where the fish are vulnerable to the fishing gear. Also important for understanding regional scale ocean circulation dynamics.
ROFFS Mixed Layer Depth Product: Shows the depth of the thermocline that indicates the bottom of the surface mixed layer. used to determine the vulnerability of the fish to the fishing gear.
Success
Mitchell A. Roffer (Ph.D.) President, reports that "the fishing forecasting analyses have been so successful that they are a well protected secret in the industry".
He feels that they are "too secret" and ROFFS has changed their marketing strategy for 2002. The company is now searching for additional sales representatives overseas. ROFFS is particularly looking for people experienced with satellite communications and marine electronics.
