INDUSTRY PROBLEMS
Whale Entanglements
Current fixed-gear fishing methodologies involve buoys on the ocean surface tethered to traps (or trawls of traps) on the ocean floor, with their tethered ropes close to the surface causing the marine animal entanglements.
140,000 protected marine animals die entangled in fishing gear annually
83 percent of the North Atlantic Right Whale population show scars from fishing gear entanglements
Over half the population of NARW experience multiple entanglements and ultimately perish from these interactions.
Seafood harvested/caught with Ashored’s on-demand fishing gear is a better seafood choice for a healthier ocean now and for future generations.
INDUSTRY PROBLEMS
Trap Damage & Loss
Lost, discarded, and abandoned fishing gear results in 640,000 tons of ocean waste per year, making it the single largest contributing source to ocean pollution.
Ashored’s rope-on-command fishing gear minimizes risks of catch or gear theft, ship strikes, heavy weather, and marine life entanglement.
THE SOLUTION
Fishing Rope-on-Command
Fishermen have been taking steps to minimize the industry’s impact on right whales—but consumers and regulators demand more.
Ashored’s MOBI (Modular Ocean Based Instrument) coils and contains a fisher’s line on the ocean floor until they return to the area to collect the gear.
MOBIs are activated with an acoustic release (with a passive backup timer) and can be triggered to surface by an on-vessel MOBI Commander just as the vessel arrives back in visual proximity.
As with any new technology, there are steps the industry needs to take to transition to on-demand gear. Before you are pressured by regulators to adopt on-demand fishing gear, you should test it, ask questions, and get comfortable with it—at the end of the day, it’s your boat, your crew, and your livelihood.
Hardware
Whalesafe Fishing Gear
Ashored’s underwater buoy/rope releases work with existing lobster/crab traps/trawl lines and allow for this gear to be activated via acoustics (or a backup timer) to the surface.
Once the buoy and connecting rope rise to the surface, fishermen can use existing onboard equipment and processes to retrieve the gear and prepare it for redeployment.
Software
Atlas
Ashored has also developed ATLAS, an intuitive suite of software and hardware that tracks the location, inventory, connection, and ownership of a user’s fishing gear. Super Tags, Smart Tags, and sensor arrays collect data and ATLAS+ software automates and displays this information in a convenient and actionable manner.
Ashored Innovations
Whalesafe Fishing Gear
Blue Glove Certified
Since day one we have been working with the fishing community in understanding the process, designing our products to be used in real working conditions.
For example, can you operate the equipment using thick blue gloves?
Blue Glove Certified means we have asked these questions and ensured fishermen have been involved in all aspects of the design process.
What is Ashored?
Made IN Canada
All of our Whalesafe Fishing Gear is designed and manufactured in Canada.
We work with local fisherman in the design, testing, and implementation of our gear to ensure it meets their standards.
History
Our Story
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