Commercial trawler
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| trawling |
| pair trawling |
| bottom trawling |
| midwater trawling |
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| trawler |
| naval trawler |
| recreational |
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A commercial trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate fishing trawls.
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[edit] Trawling
Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing nets that are dragged along the bottom of the sea or in midwater at a specified depth. A trawler may also operate one or more trawl nets simultaneously (double-rig and multi-rig).
There are many variants of trawling gear. They vary according to local traditions, bottom conditions, and how large and powerful the trawling boats are. A trawling boat can be a small open boat with only 30 hp or a large factory trawler with 10,000 hp. Trawl variants include beam trawls, large-opening midwater trawls, and large bottom trawls, such as "rock hoppers" that are rigged with heavy rubber wheels that let the net crawl over rocky bottom.
[edit] Trawler types
- Side trawlers: Until the 1950s trawlers in the Atlantic Ocean were designed to shoot and haul trawl gear from the side.
- Stern trawlers: From the 1950s, trawlers have been designed to operate gear from the stern. Technically, stern trawling is more feasible than side trawling and uses space more efficiently. It can be fully mechanized, enabling faster and safer operation of the gear, and better performance in heavy weather.
- Factory trawlers: A factory trawler is a large stern trawler which has additional facilities for processing and freezing fish installed on board. This allows the factory trawler to stay for long periods at sea. Factory trawlers can displace up to 3,000 tons.
- Wet trawlers: Wet trawlers are designed to make short fishing trips and land fresh fish kept in ice.
- Sailing trawlers: Traditional sailing trawlers were limited to trawling at depths of 55-75 metres, but modern trawlers often trawl to 900 metres, with experiments having gone even deeper.
[edit] History
- See also: History of fishing
In the Middle Ages, Brixham was the largest fishing port in the South-West, and at one time it was the greatest in England. Brixham is also famous for being the town where the fishing trawler was invented in the 19th century. These elegant wooden boats were and all over the world, influencing fishing fleets everywhere. Their distinctive sails inspired the song Red Sails in the Sunset which was written aboard a Brixham sailing trawler called the Torbay Lass. Known as the "Mother of Deep-Sea Fisheries", its boats sailed all round the coasts and helped to establish the fishing industries of Hull, Grimsby and Lowestoft. In the 1890s there were about 300 trawling vessels here, each owned by one man who was often the skipper of his own boat.
One of the biggest ports in England for trawlers was Hull in Yorkshire on England's north-east coast.
The largest fishing port in Europe from the 1970s onwards has been Peterhead in the North-East corner of Scotland. In its prime in the 1980s Peterhead had over 500 trawlers staying at sea for a week each trip. Peterhead has seen a significant decline in the number of vessels and the value of fish landed has been reduced due to several decades of overfishing which in turn has reduced quotas.
[edit] Naval Trawlers
During World War I and World War II, many commercial trawlers were used as minesweepers, the activities being similar, and both the crew and the equipment aboard already suited to the task. Other trawlers, called armed trawlers, were fitted with a naval gun and defended fishing fleets from enemy aircraft or submarines.
During the Cold War, some countries used trawlers fitted with additional electronic gear to monitor the activities of their enemies: see spy ship.
[edit] Recreational Trawlers
Recreational trawlers are pleasure boats resembling commercial trawlers. They are sometimes called "cruising trawlers". Traditional recreational trawlers have a displacement hull, a raised pilothouse, and are between 30 and 70 long. The engine room can be quite large and is under the main cabin. These seaworthy boats usually have a single engine and a modest speed of 7-9 knots. Combined with large fuel tanks they can cruise far before needing to be refuelled. They can be home for between 2 to 8 persons for many days and can be a permanent home.
Many modern production recreational trawlers now use semi-displacement hulls and twin engines to increase speed.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Vigilance - A Brixham Trawler
- Budding Rose - A Scottish Trawler
- European Union Fishing Directorate
- Pictures showing damage done by bottom trawlers
- Trawler History
