This site is a preliminary and under construction

Methods of Marking Fishing Gears

The purpose of the site is to support a work ongoing do develop a manual for marking fishing gears. Here are some methods in trial or use, but we need to know about more methods and how well those methods are doing in purpose to last and be useful.

Many nations in the world are now in starting-phase to develop marking methods in line with the VGMFG from FAO. However, it is still not clear for exactly how! The tags or marking methods need to be tested in various fishing gears and fishery.

We are not discussing it here but the registering system must be a follow up with the marking by each country.

If you are involved in making trial on know about marking method or tend to do any trial, we would very much like to have information about it. Please clik here and upload picture, drawing or report and give basic informations about the marking method.

Voluntary Guidelines of the Marking of Fishing Gear (VGMFG)

Was publised 2019. Is a guiedeline about gear marking but also gear retrieval, reporting of lost gear and disposal.

The main Objectives are:

•To assist states in meeting their existing obligations

•Contribute towards sustainable fisheries by helping to:

Support responsible fishing gear ownership and management
Prevent ALDFG and its harmful impacts including environmental impacts, navigational hazards and economic, biodiversity and fish stock impacts of ‘ghost fishing’.
Aid the detection and ability to address IUU fishing activities

How can we mark the Fishing Gears?

There are for sure many possibilities. Both marking material, how and where attach on the fishing gear.

The mark needs to last a similar time as the fishing gear or longer. It must be easily readable with clear identifying of the ownership and its link with the fishing vessel.

Written on:

Any material possible to write, print, or engrave on can be used and simply give the vessel name / id, year marked, and possibly other information required to the registering system in use.

QR-code or Bar code:

Can be used with or without other text. Any smartphone can scan both QR or Bar- code. However, if the code start to be unclear with age / use it might be useless and therefore text could be better method as missing letter can still give correct information.

Some examples

Colore code ropes

Can be useful in small regions with not too many fishers or to mark one fleet.

Prose:

Very simple,
cheep,
likely to last the lifetime of the gear
convenient for static fishing gears
tangling of the gear expected to be minimal or none

Cons:

Limited information,
the colour code could be meaningless if drifted long distance,

Coloured braided rope with printed stripe inside

Well known from aquaculture.

Prose:

large parts or whole fishing gear marked,
lines on trawls could be marked like this,
lines on static gears
likely to last the fishing gear
likely to remain readably for a long time
None tangling method

Cons:

each rope must be made by order in the length needed
the rope must be untwisted to reach to the printed stripe
The diameter of the rope could be a limit.

Marking plate

Can be handwritten, printed, engraved or laser marked. Any information needed can be on. Both sides can be used. The plate material can be wood, metal or synthetic.