The development of fish detector technology has greatly advanced scientific fishing methods.
Hey everyone, do you like fish? You can buy and eat fish at various places such as supermarkets and restaurants. How do fishermen catch such large numbers of fish?
Leading-edge Technology Helps Fishermen in Their Work
Fishermen do not just set out to roam broad expanses of sea to catch fish at the drop of a hat. They make educated guesses regarding the possible locations of schools of fish based on technology and their experience before they set sail. But how do they find schools of fish? Fishermen use a device called a "fish detector" that helps them in finding the locations of schools of fish.
Fish Detectors Use the Same Mechanism as Echo Location
Fish detector mechanism
(1) A sensor mounted underneath a boat sends and receives ultrasound waves.
(2) Ultrasound waves reflect when they hit a school of fish while is moving.
(3) The approximate depth of the fish is calculated based on the time taken by the ultrasound waves to return to the sensor. (Photo courtesy of FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.)
Fish detectors use the same mechanism as echo location. When you shout at the top of a mountain, the echo that comes back to you from the opposite mountain after a short delay is the sound emitted from your mouth hitting and being bounced back from mountains and valleys. You cannot see sound; however, when sound waves hit something solid, they reflect and come back to you, just like a ball hitting a wall.
You cannot see or hear ultrasound waves either. However, ultrasound waves work the same way as an echo when it hits something. Ultrasound waves emitted from a device bounce back when they hit fish. We can determine the location of fish by calculating the time taken by the waves to return. The technology of determining the location of fish by using ultrasound waves was first developed in Japan.
Fish Detectors Used around the World
The latest fish detectors can also display information on the size of fish and seabed rocks, which is useful in finding the type of fish one wants to catch. (Photo courtesy of FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.)
Fish detector, which shows high-definition images thanks to digital technology, are used not only by commercial fishermen but also by people who enjoy fishing as a hobby. (Photo courtesy of HONDA ELECTRONICS Co., LTD.)
Nowadays, fish detectors are used not only in Japan, but around the world. However, initially, fishermen did not believe the Japanese company that developed these fish detectors, and so the developers themselves had to board the fishing boats to show the effectiveness of the device.
Nowadays, there are several Japanese companies that manufacture fish detectors, and they pay a lot of attention to detail. For example, the type of fish sought differs for different fishermen. Fish detectors equipped with functions that sort places based on whether there are many fishes or just one big fish can display on screen information regarding a particular type of fish.
Moreover, there are several different methods of emitting ultrasound waves. There are models that emit ultrasound waves in all directions, and those that emit ultrasound waves in only one direction, but sweep in a circle.
In other words, fishermen search for only the types of fish that they want, and they determine where to find them by using various fish detector functions.
Fish detectors are a revolutionary technology that have helped advance fishing, which previously relied on the vast experience and intuition of fishermen.