Image: Le Marin

A new shellfish harvest technique tested in the Barents Sea

A vessel dedicated to low-impact shellfish collection has just been christened in Norway and is about to set sail for the Barents Sea to fish for Iceland scallop ( Chlamys islandica ), for the first time in 30 year. Its unique harvesting system could allow non-impact deep-sea fishing.

The Arctic Pearl was christened on November 22 at Fiskerstrand Verft near Ålesund, Norway, by Alexandra Bech Gjørv, CEO of Sintef, one of Europe's largest independent research organizations.

A former seismic vessel converted into a fishing vessel, the Arctic Pearl is the first allowed in thirty years to access the Iceland scallop beds in Norwegian waters and benefit from a five-year trial quota, of up to 15 000 tons annually, granted by the Norwegian authorities. Reason for this exceptional derogation: its unique equipment would allow a non-impacting shellfish collection system for particularly vulnerable benthic bottoms.

The two harvesters developed by Ava Ocean, Sintef as well as Scantrol Deep Vision since 2016, are equipped with a control system combined with active heave compensation software (active heave compensation - AHC, for proper operation in the harshest conditions). more extreme) associated with trawl control and identification of catches by video. The shells are also collected from a basket that floats above the bottom, from which bycatch and smaller shells can escape before rising to the surface.

An alternative to dredging?

It could be a sustainable alternative to cruising, a method prohibited in Norway. For the next five years, the Arctic Pearl will also help scientists from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research associated with the project to document its impact on flora and fauna. "The long-term goal is to demonstrate that we have a tool that can not only efficiently remove seafood products from the seabed, but also that it does not damage the ecosystem in which they live or prevents the recruitment of new shellfish ,” said Øystein Tvedt, CEO of Ava ocean.

Author: Melanie Chartier / Le Marin (translated from original in french)

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