Fishing is 3 times more efficient thanks to the application of satellite technology

The product was researched by the authors with the aim of supporting fishermen to increase their fishing productivity and reduce travel costs when using traditional scrubs.

Usually, to lure fish, fishermen use bamboo, coconut leaves… floating in the sea called scrub. They used ropes 200-300 m long to tie them to the scrub, one end tied with ballast rock to the bottom of the sea to be fixed. Whenever it is necessary to check the scrub area for fish to catch or not, the fisherman must drive the boat to check. There are many fishermen who use their seafaring experience to identify areas with fish and organize fishing. From this fact, the group improved foreign detectors, to match the conditions of Vietnam.

Dong Quang Hong, a member of the group, said that the fish detector buoy was designed as a device to transmit information through satellite signals with no distance limit. The device runs on solar energy and has the ability to store electricity when operating in stormy environments with an IP68 international standard of resistance to dust and water. Fish probe uses sound waves to collect and analyze fish school information data such as color, shape, density, distribution depth…

The buoy also provides oceanographic data at the buoy area and transmits the information to fishing vessels or transmits it to shore using satellite technology. The fish detector sends a signal once every 20 seconds, shown on the data strip to help fishing boat owners accurately determine information about fish schools through satellite waves. When receiving fish signal information on a computer or smartphone, the ship owner or captain makes a plan to approach, determine the appropriate time and location to organize fishing.

“This solution saves fishermen from having to go to the floating fishing nets to determine if there are fish in the area, saving time and travel costs,” said Mr. Hong, adding that the catch increased from 3 to 5 times.

Fisherman Tran Ngoc Hoang (Hoai Nhon district, Binh Dinh) owns 12 palm trees in Truong Sa waters. After a period of using the float to detect fish, he said, even though he was at home, he still knew where the palm tree had fish or not. Boats do not have to run around consuming fuel, reducing fuel costs by up to 30%.

According to Mr. Vu Dinh Dap, Chairman of the Vietnam Tuna Association, in countries such as Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia… they have been using buoys to detect fish for about 20 years. In Vietnam, fishermen mainly use manual scrubbing and fishing experience. Having a modern, high-precision product such as a fishing buoy using satellite technology is still quite new to many fishermen.

“I appreciate this product because during the trial, it helps fishermen increase their output, reduce costs, and contribute to the fishing industry. In the future, the association will connect with member units, The locality organizes programs to introduce and train fishermen to access this new tool, helping them have more fishing options and increase their income,” said Mr. Dap.

In 2022 contest Scientific initiative host the first season. All prize money is funded by the Hope Foundation. This is a social fund – charity works for the community, not for profit, operated by Electronic Newspaper VnExpress and FPT Corporation. The Foundation pursues two goals: to support the disadvantaged and to create momentum for development. One of the fund’s activities is promoting technology application, equipping individuals and communities with tools for sustainable development, especially equipping knowledge through education.

In the first season, the program awarded a special prize of 100 million VND; The first prize is 50 million VND, the second prize is 30 million VND, the third prize is 20 million VND and 3 consolation prizes are 10 million VND each.

Ha An