Robust Camera CatchCam for Bycatch Reduction in Scallop Dredge Gear

The CatchCam camera was attached to a Scallop Dredge for bycatch reduction in this fishery. 👉Learn more about this robust fishing camera: sntech.co.uk/p...
Recent deployments on the East Coast of the United States, have seen the CatchCam camera attached to a scallop dredge onboard the fishing vessel K.A.T.E. II.
The underwater fishing camera allows fishermen to gain unprecedented insights into their gear's underwater operations.
"We’ve been trying to reduce flatfish bycatch in our dredge and the camera has helped us see what is really going on, ” shares Billy Hullbig, skipper of the K.A.T.E. II. By now, the CatchCam has been deployed nearly 500 times and “everytime we learn a little bit more of how the dredge works and how the fish behaves.""
The underwater footage recorded by CatchCam improved the understanding of the gear's operation. This gave the VIMS research team and Captain Billy the evidence to pursue the development of alternative escape mechanisms for the fish.
In particular, the implementation of a square mesh twine top panel in the dredge, to give the fish an increased chance of escape while maintaining scallop catches. As seen in the video below, this approach utilises the fish behaviour and water flow dynamics in the dredge.
The footage above is played at 50% speed.
👉Learn more about the CatchCam underwater camera system: sntech.co.uk/p...
👉Access more underwater footage recorded from a CatchCam camera: • Fishing Gear Videos re...
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We've developed CatchCam, an underwater camera that allows commercial fishermen to record their gear in action during fishing operations.
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