Furuno Norge launches “Lost Gear Finder”. Trond Strømmen, Managing Director says “The technology has been tested with satisfactory results”.

Loss of Gear is a significant environmental problem and threatens both fish, marine mammals and seabirds. This is why the “Lost Gear Finder” was developed.

According to current Norwegian regulations, fishermen are obliged to search after lost gear. If gear is lost and not retrieved, the position has to be reported. Even when the gear is reported lost, recovery is still a difficult task. Due to the need for faster and more efficient retrieval, the Directorate of Fisheries challenged the fishing technology professional environment. Furuno showed interest and took the challenge. A technical device for exact positioning on the fishing gear will make gear retrieval much easier.

The “Lost Gear Finder” from Furuno Norge is a solution where a transponder is attached to the gear. A transducer is installed on board, as well as a processor connected to a monitor. In case of gear loss, the user can search for lost gear's position underwater. The effective range for the transducer is as much as 5000 meters, which makes the search very efficient. When the onboard unit receives response from the transponder, the position is calculated quickly and lost gear is easily found.