FLUME TANK TESTING OF AN INNOVATIVE FOOTGEAR TECHNOLOGY USING SIMULATED SEABEDS

Winger, Paul D. and Araya-Schmidt, T. and Legge, G. and Santos, M. and Bayse, S.M. (2021) FLUME TANK TESTING OF AN INNOVATIVE FOOTGEAR TECHNOLOGY USING SIMULATED SEABEDS. Journal of Ocean Technology, 16 (2). pp. 62-84. ISSN 1718-3200

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Abstract

There have been many advancements in bottom trawls to reduce physical and biological impacts on benthic habitats. In this study, an innovative aligned-rolling footgear was designed and evaluated for use in the Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) fishery in Eastern Canada. We document a novel technique for comparing traditional and experimental footgears using engineering models and simulated seabed conditions in a flume tank. Footgears were compared using direct observation and by measuring warp load during simulated smooth, semi-rough, and rough seabed conditions in contact with bosom or wing footgear sections. Results revealed that the traditional footgear bottom trawl experienced significantly higher warp loads for smooth (0.26 t higher), semi-rough (0.68 t higher), and rough seabed conditions (0.74 t higher) in the bosom section. In the wing section, traditional bottom trawl produced significantly higher warp loads for smooth (0.38 t higher) and rough seabed conditions (0.30 t higher). Bottom trawl with aligned-rolling footgear reduces seabed contact up to 71.5% depending upon depth of penetration modelled. To our knowledge, this study represents the first attempt at using simulated seabed conditions in a flume tank testing footgear technology.

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