Abstract
Fishing efficiency of a trawl vessel can be enhanced by increasing the swept area per unit time, which can be attained either by increasing the mouth size of the net, or by increasing the towing speed. To improve fishing and fuel efficiency of trawl vessels targeting fishes of greater mobility, in which the towing speed is more critical in determining fishing efficiency, we conducted a series of model tests to evaluate the performance of the newly-designed nozzle propeller before installing it in a trawl vessel to verify its towing speed and fuel efficiency in the sea. By conducting further model tests in the experimental basin, we redesigned the propeller of stern trawler to improve the resistance and propulsion performance. Through actual fishing operations, we evaluated the improvement in fuel and fishing efficiency by installing the new nozzle propeller. The trawling speed increased by 0.6kts at the same engine power (RPM), while the engine margin increased by more than 20%. The increased towing speed by installing the redesigned propeller is expected to enhance fishing performance through increasing the number of hauling- and casting operations per unit times, while shortening the towing duration. Analysis of the Catch-Per-Unit-Effort (CPUE) data indicated that the mean CPUE of trawl fishery increased from 3.04kg/m in year 2007 to 6.15kg/m in year 2008, confirming enhanced fishing efficiency by adopting the redesigned propeller.
