Other gear innovation
This page highlights ongoing gear innovation outside of trawling and long-lining.
Maidenfleet Autonomous Commercial Fishing
Developed by: Maidenfleet
What: Maidenfleet is building a new class of commercial inshore fishing platform designed to operate in a changing environment.
Across the industry, rising fuel costs, constrained labour, and increasing operational pressure are challenging how vessels are run. The traditional model is being pushed beyond what it was designed for.
We are developing an integrated approach combining vessel design, onboard systems, and operational workflows to improve control, reduce reliance on labour, and lower cost per kilogram harvested.
Maidenfleet is being built with a system-first approach — integrating vessel design, onboard capability, and operational workflows into a single, cohesive model.
This allows key parts of the operation to be more controlled, more consistent, and less dependent on external variables.
Over time, this creates multiple pathways for how the platform can be deployed — whether through owned operations, partnerships, or other commercial structures.
The focus remains the same: improving performance while maintaining flexibility in how the model scales.
ScallopLight and ScallopEyes
Developed by: Fishtek Marine
What: In 2020 scientists at Fishtek Marine documented for the first time that scallops could be attracted into static fishing gear using LED lights. The results of these findings were published in a scientific paper which was picked up by the media and featured in news outlets around the world. Following the success of this initial study and the exciting opportunity this new method of fishing presents, Fishteck Marine has undergone a rigorous product development phase with extensive industry testing allowing it to optimize the trap and light designs resulting in the launch of our newest products the ScallopLight and ScallopEye.
Both the ScallopLight and ScallopEye can be retrofitted to old frames or added to new ones allowing you to either boost your current catch with scallops or target only scallops.
Potting as an alternative to trawling
Developed by: Waikawa Fishing Company, Cawthron Institute, Zebra-tech Ltd and the University of Auckland
What: A research programme (‘Ka Hao te Rangatahi: Revolutionary Potting Technologies and Aquaculture for Scampi’) aimed at improving the cultural and environmental performance of scampi fishing practices, initiated by the Māori-owned Waikawa Fishing Company, and underpinned by Mātauranga Māori and values inherent in kaitiakitanga. The potting technologies developed during this research were based on designs used overseas, using local ecological knowledge and application of mātauranga approaches to modify a design suited to the Aotearoa New Zealand fishery. Research continues to overcome the challenges to potting local scampi and has emphasised the need to understand more about the species.
"While work on scampi continues, the potting method was reconfirmed as a viable harvesting method for the large bottom-dwelling fish ling. Ling, an increasingly valuable commercial species (see case study: Trade limitations hindering the sale of a high value fish by-product), would readily enter pots without need for specific attractants. Ling are high-level predators which means that once they are inside the pots, smaller fish (that would be prey of ling) do not enter the pots, or if they do they are eaten. By using this method for ling, bycatch has reportedly reduced to less than 1% by weight, with no seabird or mammal bycatch. In addition to this there is reportedly little to no seabed damage and a large reduction in fuel use. The design means that the fish caught are not crushed and the lack of bycatch means there is no longer a need to sort through the catch when landed. Further studies to understand the ecosystem impacts of potting for ling instead of trawling would be beneficial.
Waikawa Fishing Company has now converted all ling harvesting to the potting method. This is a success story where an alternative that causes less environmental and ecological harm can be commercially viable."
Aotearoa Moana Observing System (AMOS)
Developed by: ZebraTech Ltd
What: Between 2018 and 2023, a nationwide scientific research program called The Moana Project was funded by New Zealand’s Ministry for Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) and administrated by MetService. Part of the project was to gain a better insight into the sea temperatures and marine heatwaves around New Zealand, so we can improve our climate forecasting and knowledge of the changes affecting our nation.
To achieve this, a fully automatic, accurate and robust sensor system was developed by ZebraTech Ltd in Nelson, New Zealand. The sensor (Moana TD) can be easily attached to a wide range of commercial fishing gear, including trawls, long lines, pots, dredges and nets.
Though the Moana Project has ended, AMOS is a registered charitable trust to act as a neutral caretaker for the sensor network, ensure open access and promote data use forpublic good.
Public AMOS data is available at: http://131.203.52.77:6443/thredds/catalog/moana/Mangopare/public/catalog.html
