Member Article

Welsh Scallop Fishermen Adopt Succorfish Tracking Technology

Scallop fishing fleets and fishermen operating in Cardigan Bay have been amongst the first to adopt the latest Succorfish vessel monitoring technology in preparation for new legislation being introduced by the Welsh Government.

From 1st November 2012, all scallop fishing vessels operating inside Welsh waters are required to have vessel monitoring systems fitted. This is to ensure the accurate monitoring and frequent reporting of vessel movement in line with new regulations and in compliance with conservation objectives within Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

Succorfish has been working closely with the Welsh Government to develop a sophisticated management tracking system that assists with the monitoring and recording of vessel movement. And, following a successful trial of the SC2 system within the Cardigan Bay scallop fishery, the technology is now being rolled out by the Welsh Government to other special areas of conservation.

The low cost, high tech SC2 dual GSM and satellite communicatons system has been specifically designed for the marine industry and also allows fishermen like Mark Roberts, owner of Harmoni, to work with such legislation rather than against it. It allows users to get to within two metres of protected zones and this level of accuracy could potentially help the Welsh Government to ‘open up’ previously ‘closed’ areas of water in the future.

Mark, from Holyhead, is one of many individuals who has installed Succorfish’s SC2 vessel monitoring system in advance of the new legislation. He commented, “As fishermen we are working in a very tough environment both financially and as an industry so being able to meet new legislation with minimal effort is a huge blessing.

“The Succorfish system is low cost and very straight forward to use and allows us to provide the authorities with the relevant information instantly and frequently. It is becoming an integral piece of equipment and could make a huge difference to the way scallop fishermen operate by providing greater access to fishing grounds.”

The Succorfish SC2 vessel monitoring system uses mobile phone technology as well as online tracking software to record the course and position of vessels every ten minutes. As vessels move out of range of a mobile signal, the SC2 automatically detects this and securely stores the data until reconnecting to a network. Information is accessed via a password protected website where users can view their personal data.

The system is also e-log ready and is capable of transmitting data over the Iridium satellite network when required. Additionally vessel owners are supplied with a free SOS facility to alert the authorities in time of an emergency.

George Henricks, Commercial Director of Succorfish said, “This has been a hugely successful project on behalf of the Welsh Government and by working closely with both the authorities and the scallop fishermen, we have been able to provide a total solution that benefits both and surpasses the newly introduced legislation.”

For more details see www.succorfish.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by George Henricks .