Transas has developed a state-of-the-art fishing gear handling simulator.
The company says it provides the best simulation of trawl behaviour ever, an incredibly realistic model of fish behaviour and imitation of fish finding devices.
The simulator is designed for training cadets from fishing academies and courses, providing them with a basic knowledge of the fishing process, including vessel maneuvering and acoustic device handling. It enables evaluation of knowledge of deck officers, trawl masters and deck crews for obtaining appropriate licenses. Finally, another application is training experienced crews before forthcoming voyages in order to refresh their knowledge.
It is possible to practice trawling, longlining or purse seining in various weather conditions; trawling and maneuvering in the vicinity of other ships also involved in fishing operations; setting the trawl for the required horizon and keeping it steady; appropriate calibrating and using acoustic devices for detecting position and depth of a fish shoal; tracing and chasing the fish and maneuvering the ship in order to get the best position of fishing devices regarding the shoal and the sea bottom.
One of the key features of the simulator is a superior trawl model. It provides correct trawl behavior considering environmental influence, such as currents, waves etc. The trainee can monitor trawl position and load that affect more than 100 elements of the trawl system. The trawl can be calibrated by a trainee depending on the point of an exercise and type of fish to be caught, setting parameters for otter doors, trawl wires and the trawl itself.
Another significant part of the system is fish shoal behaviour modelling. A fish shoal responds to acoustic equipment and various irritants. It can speed up and run from the fishing gear.
Finally, the simulator includes a set of modern acoustic devices: omni-directional sonar, fish-finding echo-sounder and trawl controlling device.
