Danish trawler Malle L-153 has switched its old bottom doors for a larger pair of flying doors, and has seen better catches with the new rig.
Last autumn Malle’s skipper Tommy Bach switched the trawler’s old 7 square metre bottom doors for a new pair of 9 square metre Type 15VF doors from Thyborøn Trawldoor. Last week Malle landed a 17.40 tonne trip of cod and plaice after only three days, fetching DKK350,000 at auction.
This comes after a spell of heavy weather that has now settled as they fish north-west of Hirtshals.
The new doors can be flown high off the bottom to square the gear, or the Hardox wearkeels on the doors mean they can be fished on the bottom as conventional doors if required. The real benefits are in improved fuel economy, and Tommy Bach opted to increase towing speed to fish more effectively and shorten the trips.
