Fishfocus, May 4 - The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has agreed to adopt new fishing technology designed in Scotland as a new international standard for coordinating surveys of benthic fish populations in the North Sea.  
   
Scottish marine council is working with its international partner, the International Bottom Trawl Survey Working Group (IBTSWG), to develop innovative projects that assist in calculating accurate fish population data and informing the ICES fisheries monitoring and management process in support of sustainable marine management.  

The new technology combines progress made in net design and fishing techniques over the past few decades.  
   
Major design changes from the old system include a reduction in mesh size (from 200mm to 100mm) and new lightweight ground equipment.  
   
Overall, it provides a robust programme that is more efficient, resilient and economical, and provides consistent catches and better estimation of fish population.  
   
The new fish survey trawl equipment will replace the Grand Opening Vertical (GOV) survey model used since 1980, which was determined to be no longer fit for purpose.  A roadmap has been agreed for a smooth transition to the new technology to ensure no impact on the annual fish stock survey.  The transition is expected to be completed within three years.