The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Fishing goes hi-tech with GPS and echo-finders

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Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Fishing goes hi-tech with GPS and echo-finders

Santosh Patnaik

The electronic devices are given on 50 per cent subsidy

GPS is a tracking instrument
Devices fixed to dashboard of vessels

Photo: K.R. Deepak

A boat operator using electronic devices at the Fishing Harbour on Friday. —

VISAKHAPATNAM: Fishermen from Visakhapatnam and Kakinada coasts have turned hi-tech by equipping themselves with global positioning system (GPS) and fish-finders.

Pilot project

The electronic devices – 65 GPS and 51 fish-finders each costing Rs.19,000 and Rs.34,000 respectively – were recently given to fishermen owning mechanized boats under a pilot project at 50 per cent subsidy. In view of frequent cyclone threats, VHF sets were given to them long ago.

“Now we are very happy. The GPS, fish-finders, also known as echo-finders and VHF sets help us in scientific exploration of catching the fish without wasting much time,” says Subrahmanyam, a boat owner from Kakinada.

GPS is a tracking instrument which provides invoice satellite information while in transit. The Fisheries Department which distributed the devices after conducting awareness among the crew of 350 to 400 boats being operated from the coast here is confident that scientific exploration of fishing will raise income levels. GPS helps on when to shoot the net depending on location of fish as per certain longitude and latitude. On the other hand, the fish-finder gives tiny visuals of fish available under the water. “There are layers like shrimp concentrated in bottom dwelling, miscellaneous fish and sears (vanjiram) found in large quantity in the column above the shrimp layer. Hence, GPS can guide fishermen to know the depth and location of their prospective catch so as to spread their net accordingly,” says M.A. Yakub Khan, Assistant Director of Fisheries.

The GPS and fish-finders are fixed to the dashboard of vessels like the speedometer in a car. Remote sensing agencies pass on information on surface temperature, chlorophyll, green pigment in water and fishing period to the department which is being passed on to the fishermen on regular basis.

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