Simrad has added a twelfth member to its sophisticated family of rugged sensors for the PI32, PI44 and PI54 catch monitoring systems. The new Geometry sensor is designed to easily check the geometry of the bottom trawl, pelagic trawl, pair trawls and Danish seine so that skippers can make the necessary manoeuvres to ensure maximum catch efficiency. "We continue to develop the PI sensor family so that we may provide as much information about the catch and trawl as possible," says Mads Dahl, Sales Director, Simrad. "With a clear picture of the trawl, a skipper can react to any issues quickly, which gives them the opportunity to improve the catch and reduce the risk of trawl damage, which can prove to be very expensive."
The PI Geometry sensor system consists one Simrad PI Geometry sensor and two Simrad Mini-R responders. The Geometry sensor itself is positioned on the centre of the head or footrope, whilst the two responders are placed on each door or wing end. This ensures that accurate measurements of the distances between the centre of the headrope (or footrope) and each of the trawl doors or wing ends is possible. If these distances are not identical, the trawl (or Danish seine) will be skewed and unbalanced, which reduces the catch efficiency.
The results from the measurements made by the PI Geometry Sensor are transmitted by acoustic signal to the PI catch monitoring system mounted on the vessel. The information is presented in an easy to read and understand numerical or graphical format, which follows the proven user friendly interface of the PI catch monitoring systems. Based on the information taken from the Geometry sensor, immediate corrective action to adjust the net can be made with confidence in the accuracy of the data at hand. "A correctly rigged trawl and Danish seine have exactly the same distance measured from the centre of the headrope or footrope to either door or trawl wing. These distances must be identical independent of weather conditions, sea state or water currents and the new PI Geometry sensor is the ideal way to ensure this," explains Dahl. Simrad PI sensors are renowned for their ability to provide accurate data even in harsh conditions. They are designed to offer reliable performance through the use of robust materials able to withstand daily use on the trawl.
