Denmark leads in fisheries technology

The quest for efficient fisheries and enhancing sustainability is prominent in Denmark. The way the industry has developed across the Nordic region as a whole has meant that streamlining fishing operations and refining every aspect of the technology associated with the catching and processing sectors become ever more important.

The Flume Tank operated by North Sea Science Park in Hirtshals has for decades been a focal point for fishing gear technology. This is one of just a handful of such facilities around the world, providing opportunities to test scaled-down fishing gears under a variety of conditions.

While it has a long career behind it, the Hirtshals flume tank has also been through a process of upgrading and renewal to ensure that it remains relevant to a changing industry and its up-to-date facilities also make it an in-demand testbed for the aquaculture and underwater technology sectors, as well as for its original core role of developing trawl and other fishing gears.

Today the tank is operated by the North Sea Science Park itself following a strategic decision that the flume tank is a vital testing and demonstration facility especially for the fisheries sector. The manager since October 2023 is Mette Hyldgaard Roussis, who is also playing a key role in developing a new strategy for the North Sea Science Park.

• For us at the flume tank sustainability is closely linked to innovation. We see a great deal of innovation at the flume tank – both from the industry, such as gear manufacturers and from researchers, she said. – Our message at the Danfish International exhibition is clear: we are ready to be part of your development projects and also to be playing a more active role in general in contributing to a sustainable transition of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

Trawl door development
Danish fishing gear producers have long punched well above their weight in terms of new idea and innovative technology that finds its way around the world – and Thyborøn Trawldoor is one of the iconic Danish gear manufacturers that never fails to be at the centre of attention at Danfish International.

The exhibition provides a focal point for customers around the world to discuss fishing gear and to catch up with the latest developments.

Trawl doors have been going through a phase of rapid development in recent years as new technology has made these essential but formerly passive devices into active, controllable components of fishing gears.

The team at Thyborøn have been at the forefront of development in what has quickly become a highly competitive field – and the latest Type 28 trawl door has all the hallmarks of being a game-changer as the focus shifts from the pelagic sector to semi-pelagic and demersal fisheries.

The Type 28 doors work on the same principles as the semi-pelagic Type 26 that has been in use for a while, adapted for fishing closer to the ground with a compact design with the lower centre of gravity that demersal fishing calls for. Prototypes have been put through their paces on board Norwegian, Iceland and Spanish trawlers, with more trials scheduled around the world, and the Type 28 trawl doors already look to become a serious talking point at this year’s Danfish exhibition.

• We attend a lot of exhibitions, but this is our home territory and so Danfish has always been something special, said Thyborøn Trawldoor’s Henrik Andreassen. – It’s also a great exhibition where we catch up with our Danish customers, as well as fishermen and fleet managers from around the world who come to Aalborg. We are always busy from the moment the doors open, and I’m convinced that Danfish is one of the best exhibitions anywhere in the world.