The trial was commissioned by Marukyu Ltd, Kiotechs Japanese distributor, with a pelagic (surface) long line fishing vessel.
The 150-ton commercial fishing boat operating in the North Pacific is part of the 25 strong long line fishing fleet from the Kessenuma port in Japan. The vessel reported increased catch rates when applying Aquatice to the conventional baits compared with the catch rates of the other fleet members fishing in formation.
The long lines comprise 3,500 4,000 hooks and the bait remains in the water for 4-20 hours. For Aquatice to be effective it is necessary for the active ingredients to be released slowly over a 15-20 hour period. Kiotechs pheromone bait attractants are species specific and this brings significant environmental benefits. The quota of the target fish is achieved more precisely whilst at the same time reducing the by catch of unwanted species.
Developing an extensive range of bait attractants for the commercial fishing industry using the pheromone technology developed by Cefas (a UK Government Agency) remains a key objective for Kiotech. It is estimated that long line fishermen globally set more than 1 billion hooks annually.
Kiotech plans to carry out its next trial with the Japanese tuna fleet.
Kiotech Completes Pheromone Bait Trial
JAPAN - Aquaculture feed additives supplier Kiotech has completed another successful fishing trial using its Aquatice pheromone bait attractant.
