About 70% of New Zealand’s commercial fish harvest is caught using trawlers. The seafood industry sought a new way to catch fish that would protect the environment and improve fish quality.

The FloMo design has holes for off-target fish to escape the trawl net

Scientists studied how fish swim, school and behave, then designed a new way to capture them that reduced the stress of trawling. The FloMo (previously called the Modular Harvesting System) replaces the mesh end of a traditional trawl net (the cod end), with a membrane-based system that creates an environment where the fish can swim naturally in the net. Holes in sections of the FloMo allow small and unwanted fish to escape, and many fish that aren’t being targeted for the catch can be returned to the ocean as they’re still swimming when they hit the deck.

Designed initially for New Zealand waters, the FloMo system can be tailored for different species and fishing regions and is approved for use in New Zealand across the majority of inshore and deepwater fisheries. The fleets of Sealord, Moana and Sanford, the three major fishing companies and partners in the development of FloMo, have begun converting their fleet, starting with inshore vessels.

The design is being adapted and trialled for other species, including crustaceans, and for use in other countries, including the USA, the UK and Europe, where trials will support the regulatory changes needed to incorporate FloMo into fishing fleets.