Net winch design in trawlers,influence of vessel size and fishing ground

Abstract

With mid-depth trawling techniques, the number of fishing grounds available increases. In turn, the vessel can have a greater workload, as it has to control and direct its activity towards different species depending on the use of mid- or deep-sea equipment. However, specific equipment for each depth has to be used and this equipment influences the fishing manoeuvre. A new piece of auxiliary equipment comes into play to haul and store the net: the net winch. The aim of this study is to determine the most suitable net winch for each of the various vessels, fishing grounds and fishing modalities of the Spanish trawling fishing fleet. For each fishing ground, vessel size and target species, a relationship will be established with the net winch design parameters: fishing reel capacity, traction and operation speed.