Kiotech has reported a successful fishing trial using its Aquatice® pheromone bait attractant.
The trial was commissioned by Marukyu Ltd, Kiotech’s Japanese distributor, with a pelagic longline fishing vessel. The 150t commercial fishing boat operating in the North Pacific is part of the 25 strong longline fishing fleet from the Kessenuma port in Japan.
The vessel reported increased catch rates when applying Aquatice® to the conventional baits compared with the catch rates of the other fleet members fishing in formation. The longlines comprise of 3,500-4,000 hooks and the bait remains in the water for 4-20 hours. For Aquatice® to be effective it is necessary for the active ingredients to be released slowly over a 15-20 hour period. Kiotech’s pheromone bait attractants are species specific and this brings significant environmental benefits. The quota of the target fish is achieved more precisely whilst at the same time reducing the bycatch of unwanted species.
Developing an extensive range of bait attractants for the commercial fishing industry using the pheromone technology developed by Cefas (a UK Government Agency) remains a key objective for Kiotech.
Kiotech plans to carry out its next trial with the Japanese tuna fleet.
