Increased catch with Aquatice® attractant

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. Kiotech’s 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.

Kiotech plans to carry out its next trial with the Japanese tuna fleet. The global export value of tuna products is about US$5 billion from an annual catch of 4 million metric tonnes. Approximately 15 per cent of tuna is caught by pelagic long line vessels, which supply the higher value sushi, sashimi and general fresh fish markets. The majority of the tuna will be sold through the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Japan consumes close to 80 per cent of the world’s supply of fresh tuna.