Ropeless RISER™ Used in the First Fully On-Demand Fishery in California
Announcement
Ropeless Systems is pleased to announce that “first crab” has been harvested and sold commercially using our patent pending Ropeless RISER™ system in the first fully on-demand trap fishing operation in California. Use of the Ropeless RISER™ facilitated fishing of Brown Box and California King Crab in areas that were previously prohibited due to rope entanglement concerns.
An Experimental Fishing Permit
Brown Box and California King Crab had been fished in California since 2018 under an Exploratory Fishing Permit (EFP) using traditional methods of fishing. In 2022 fishermen were informed that a reauthorization of the permit was unlikely to be approved due to the risk of entanglement that experimental fishing posed to protected marine mammals.
Members of the fishing community and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife requested assistance from Kim Sawicki of Sustainable Seas Technology (SST). Kim worked with them to propose a methodology which would utilize acoustically based ropeless fishing technologies. With support from the Marine Innovations Gear Alliance (MIGA), the Malk Nature Fund, Orange County Community Foundation, the Skipper Family Trust, and the Lush Foundation, fishers received structured and standardized training to be able to participate in the program. In 2023, the project was granted a new EFP by the California Fish and Game Commission to allow full-scale, ropeless commercial fishing of these species of crab south of Point Conception, California extending to the California/Mexico border.
Why Ropeless RISER™ was the First in the Water
The fishermen chasing the catch faced several challenges, including 400 to 800-foot fishing depths and currents that would make deploying, marking, locating, and recovering gear difficult. To meet these challenges, Greg Olsen, the owner of 4th Watch Seafood, reviewed all the equipment choices made available to him by the EFP during a mandatory training by SST in North Carolina in March 2023. After careful review, he selected the Ropeless RISER™ MTA equipment. Ropeless Systems’ CTO, Dr. Harold “Bud” Vincent flew to California and performed on-water demonstrations of the gear.
The Fishing Begins
Greg set to work to customize his traps to remove the vertical lines and buoys, and to accommodate the on-demand components of the RISER™ MTA. He then outfitted his vessel, the 4th Watch, with the transceiver and chart plotter in the bridge, and the pole-mounted transducers and GPS compass on his gunnel.
After training, the EFP required (10) successful recoveries before fishing could begin. With those complete, the next task was to find the crab. After a number of disappointing trips, Greg began catching crab. To date, there have been over 100 successful recoveries, and more than 3,000 pounds of crab brought to market.
Dr. Harold “Bud” Vincent, Chief Technology Officer of Ropeless Systems, Inc. adds, “The feedback provided from Greg’s experience fishing with our system will be incorporated into our products to continue to improve workflow, making deck operations faster, safer, and more reliable.”
About Ropeless RISER™ MTA
The patent pending Ropeless RISER™ Multicode Transponder Actuator (MTA) uses proprietary acoustic signaling to help fishermen locate and recover deployed gear and to identify other submerged gear in the surrounding area. To meet functional and regulatory requirements, Ropeless RISER™ facilitates the following on-demand functions:
· Equipment recovery using an Enclosed Flotation Bag (EFB)
· Measuring the position of all gear on the sea floor in latitude and longitude
· Determining gear ownership
· Establishing gear type (singles vs. trawls) and position
The Ropeless RISER™ system facilitates easy retrieval while also allowing the fishery to “see” their own gear and the gear of other fisheries in the area. The unique design of the Ropeless RISER™ uses an inflatable airbag rather than stowed ropes with fixed flotation to recover gear from the ocean floor. This makes it ideal for rugged, deep water fishing operations like those necessary to trap Box Crab.
“We are both honored and excited to have been chosen by Greg for this project. Greg and his crew have demonstrated that the equipment can be used profitably in a commercial fishery.”
About 4th Watch
4th Watch Seafood is a commercial fishing operation based in Santa Barbara Harbor, extending throughout the state of California and out over 100 nautical miles. Founder, CEO and owner, Dr. Greg Olsen, is captain of the fishery’s primary fishing vessel, the 4th Watch. A lifelong emergency room physician, Greg (who is referred to as “Doc” at the harbor) has fished since the age of three. Because of his passion and success at being able to target numerous species, the 4th Watch became a full-time enterprise serving industries and individuals of discerning taste, globally.
While Greg successfully fishes a variety of seafood products, including lobster, salmon, tuna, yellow tail, rock crab, halibut and white sea bass, he was intrigued at expanding his operation. Working with Kim Sawicki of Sustainable Seas Technologies, Greg was granted the first authorized agent position for Brown Box Crab and California King Crab using alternative methods in 2023. This year, California Department of Fish and Wildlife required that the fishery change to fully on-demand trap retrieval systems for the Brown Box Crab and California King Crab specifically.
See the 4th Watch Instagram page HERE
Sustainable Seas Technology
Sustainable Seas Technology holds the experimental fishing permit approved by the California Fish and Game Commission. Founded by Fulbright scholar and leading subsea buoy retrieval expert Kim Sawicki, the organization aims to help fisheries establish sustainable on-demand operations. Their goal is to reduce marine entanglements, lost gear, bycatch, and ghost fishing through the use of innovative technology.
Learn more about Sustainable Seas Technology HERE.
Ropeless Systems creates technology and products to allow fishermen to fish in otherwise closed areas, preserving their livelihoods while simultaneously protecting marine mammals.
Learn more at www.ropeless.us