New FishSAFE in Development

FLTC Services (FLTCS) will host a live demonstration of a working prototype of the highly anticipated new FishSAFE device on 9 October 2009. Representatives from both the fishing and oil and gas industries in addition to other key stakeholders will attend this presentation to hear of progress made in the developmnent of FishSAFE.

FLTC Services, with the assistance of a grant from the Scottish Ministers and the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) to meet the first phase costs of developing a replacement for FishSAFE, have recently successfully completed laboratory and sea trials with prototype units and the event on 9 October will be the first opportunity for stakeholders to view the unit in operation.

FLTCS aims to make 300 of the new state-of-the-art devices available to the UK fishing fleet in Q4 2009 with the help of second phase funding from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF).

FishSAFE is a unique GPS-based safety device which provides fishermen with audible and visual warnings of seabed obstructions on which fishing nets may become caught.  The original FishSAFE device, developed in 1998, can no longer be maintained since its internal components are becoming obsolete.

The project is supported by Oil & Gas UK, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF), the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO).