The goal is higher-quality fish.
Fish caught in gill nets are often bruised, and by the time the net is hauled the fish could have been dead for hours. A unique feature of the vessel, which was built in Norway in 2001 as a factory freezer longliner, is the “moonpool” in the centre of the ship to retrieve the fishing gear.The moonpool allows the catch to be landed directly through a channel in the bottom of the ship, close to the below-deck processing lines. It also allows bycatch to be released quickly, and live, back to the ocean.
“It’s like ringing a bell for a dog,” he said, as whales and other mammals are attracted to the sounds of fishing because it leads to an easy meal as the gear is being hauled.Quieter fishing gear could reduce that risk, suggested Wellon. Inshore boats in Newfoundland and Labrador have also started to ditch gill nets in favour of hooks and lines to catch cod, halibut and turbot.
Wellon explained the system for the inshore fleet uses hydraulics, which costs a little more to operate than an electric system.Usually, he said, a gill net will last a few weeks to a month, depending on how frequently it’s used. Fish harvesters constantly have to replace the mesh in the net, or trash it and buy a new one.