Sub Sea Sonics/Guardian Ropeless Gear Available Via Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Cost Reimbursement Program for Approved Participants
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The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has launched a program to reimburse costs of on-demand gear. According to the announcement "MA DMF will reimburse costs to chosen on-demand research program participants up to $25,000 for fixed gear fishers and $4,000 for mobile gear fishers. Eligible reimbursements shall include, but will not be limited to, the purchase of on-demand gear, the purchase, installation, and/or maintenance of satellite communication systems capable of providing information of on-demand gear locations, monthly costs for satellite services (up to four months corresponding to the Massachusetts state water closure period), a device to receive on-demand data, and on-demand software application downloads and/or subscriptions. Participants will keep the on-demand gear purchased through this program." Because our gear is highly reliable and far lower cost than any other system on the market, fishermen can essentially be fully outfitted within the cost reimbursement levels provided by the program.
Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian Ropeless Successfully Demonstrate Pop-Up Gear in the California Spring Dungeness Crab Fishery
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The US West Coast’s most extensive testing of pop-up fishing gear to date recently concluded off the coast of California in the state’s Dungeness crab fishery. The purpose of the demonstration was to evaluate the performance of the gear while providing hands-on experience to fishermen and state enforcement staff under realistic spring fishing conditions. The spring Dungeness crab fishery has been effectively closed to commercial fishing off Central California for the last five years due to increased entanglement risk for whales and sea turtles in the vertical lines and buoys of conventional crab gear. Pop-up gear eliminates entanglement risks by storing the line and buoy with the crab pot until the fisherman sends it an acoustic signal to “pop-up.” The gear demonstrated in the project was developed and manufactured by Sub Sea Sonics and Guardian Ropeless Systems with a focus on providing gear that is reliable and economical for fishermen. The pop-up gear systems were fished under an Experimental Fishing Permit (EFPT2-001) approved by the California Fish and Game Commission to test the performance and reliability of pop-up gear in the Dungeness crab fishery.
Sub Sea Sonics Awarded NFWF Grant for New England Fisheries
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The focus of our project is to create opportunity for fishers to access current and future areas that are closed to fishing due to entanglement risk in the New England region through broad introduction of low-cost, adaptive, and reliable on-demand fishing gear.
Sub Sea Sonics Awarded Grant from Seafood Industry Tasmania
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Seafood Industry Tasmania (SIT) is working with local fishers and regulatory agencies to evaluate the use of on-demand fishing gear in the rock lobster fishery in Tasmania. The work is motivated by a proactive approach to evaluating methods for reducing the potential for marine mammal entanglements associated with the vertical lines of fishing traps. A number of cetacean species are present in Tasmanian waters including the endangered Blue, Southern Right and Humpback whales. A fundamental aspect of the introduction of on-demand gear will be to properly adapt the gear to the unique aspects of the fishery including gear configurations, fishing environment and operations. The objectives of this project are to (1) evaluate potential on-demand gear configurations that could be adapted to the gear and conditions of the rock lobster fishery, and (2) provide an initial batch of test units to be used in testing and gear trials by local fishers. These two tasks were completed during 2024 concluding with a highly successful (100%!!) demonstration in Tasmania using our AR4RT coupled with a new “rescue throw-bag” style line handling system.
Coming Soon! AR60 Strongback Mooring System
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Integrates directly with existing AR60 acoustic release
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Increases allowable mooring load to ~1000 lb (450 kg)
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Rugged stainless steel construction
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Simple clamp-on installation
Media
Ropeless Fishing Article by Oregon Public Broadcasting - See the article by Casandra Profita of Oregon Public Broadcasting about our TR4RT development effort here.
Testing of the TR4RT and AR50 for Ropeless Fishing - See the great information from Kim Sawicki of Sustainable Seas Technologies about testing our TR4RT and AR50 systems for ropeless fishing here.
Testing of the AR4RT system in the Dungeness Crab fishery in California - Interview with KPIX, check it out here.
Testing of the AR4RT system in the Dungeness Crab fishery in California - YouTube Video, check it out here.
Coastside News article on the award of funding by the Ocean Protection Council to support the use of Sub Sea Sonics gear in the California Dungeness Crab fishery by Sebastian Miño-Bucheli - Ropeless” crab gear gets funding for tests. Check it out here.
NPR article profiling a Dungeness Crab fisherman's experience with testing Sub Sea Sonics Gear by Lauren Sommer - This fishing gear can help save whales. What will it take for fishermen to use it?. Check it out here.
CBS Evening News article "Northern California's commercial crab season under threat from migrating whales." Check it out here.