Catch Methods
Catch Methods
At Prime Catch Trading LLC, we take pride in the various catch ways we use to ensure the freshest and highest quality seafood for our customers. Our experienced team utilizes a range of methods to source the best products from the sea.
Excavators plow the seabed Target species:
mussels and shellfish Similar to the beam trawl, a dredge consists of a sturdy triangular steel frame and a toothed bar, behind which a mat made of interconnected steel rings is attached. The catch collects in a heavy net attached to the sides and end of the mat. Shellfish are raked out of the ground and washed into the net. Several dredges are pulled with the help of a pull rod. Larger vessels can tow two tow bars, one on each side of the vessel. With suction and hydraulic dredges, water is shot into the sediment, with the shellfish thrown up being collected in the net (hydraulic) or sucked to the surface with a tube (suction dredge). The dredges plow up the seabed habitat: many different species of sea creatures are crushed or caught in the nets. Even relatively insensitive seabeds often cannot recover from this because they suffer from regular fishing with dredges.
When fishing with an anchor seine, an anchor is first deployed to which a fishing line is attached. The net and the second fishing line are laid out in a circle from the anchor. Back at the anchor, the fishing lines are pulled in, driving fish lying on the bottom into the net. Anchor Seines are suitable for inshore fishing for flatfish. This technique is particularly widespread in Denmark (snurrevaad). Anchor seine fishing is a typical form of coastal fishing. About ten years ago, this technology was further developed for deeper waters. This development is known as “Icelandic seining” or “fly-shooting”. With this method, the fishing lines can be a total of 8 kilometers long. The first fishing line is not anchored here, but shot away. There are more and more Dutch fishing companies using this method to catch plaice. Modern anchor-seine fishing is described as one of the better alternatives to fishing with heavy beam trawls with alarm chains. The influence of the anchor seine on the seabed is much smaller than the impact of the alarm clock chains. In addition, this technology uses considerably less energy because the fishing lines are not dragged through the ground. The experience of fishermen working with this method confirms this. Another advantage, according to fishermen, is the higher quality of the fish. Impact: The impact on the seabed is small compared to bottom trawls in particular. The fish are of high quality.
Purse Seine - fishing with an echo sounder Target species: Schooling fish such as herring, sardines, mackerel or tuna (skipjack) The purse seine is a net that is laid out in a ring around a school of fish that has previously been tracked down with an echo sounder. Once the school of fish has been circled, the net can be closed at the bottom with a cord running through rings. The net contents are then transported on board using suction pumps. In deep-sea fishing, the nets can be up to 2,000 meters long and 200 meters high. The purse seine is now the most commonly used fishing technique for skipjack. So-called fish collectors (Fish Aggregation Devices, FADs) are also used. In the Eastern Pacific, dolphins are an indicator of the presence of tuna, which like to stay below pods of dolphins. Fishing fleets took advantage of this phenomenon and systematically tracked down dolphins for decades and surrounded them with purse seining in order to capture the schools of tuna swimming among the dolphins. By the early 1990s, around 7 million dolphins had fallen victim to tuna fishing. Even though fishing fleets still keep an eye out for dolphins when hunting for tuna, the enormous bycatch rates have now been reduced to a minimum. The fishermen are obliged to release the dolphins by lowering the net, while the tuna remain in the net.
Fishing rod line
Target species: tuna, swordfish, mackerel, halibut, black hake, sharks The longline is deployed in balance between the sea surface and the bottom. It is kept in the water with buoys and various weights. In pelagic longline fishing, swimmers keep the main lines floating with the current close to the surface. Accordingly, in bottom longline fishing, the entire length of the line is anchored to the seabed. The main line can be over 100 kilometers long and equipped with thousands of bait hooks. In just a few years, tuna and swordfish have been overfished in industrial deep-sea fishing. In addition, many other animals get caught on the longlines. Common bycatch victims include sea turtles and seabirds, including some endangered albatross species. In clear contrast to this industrial longline fishing is the fishing practiced by fishermen on the Azores islands for decades with longlines that only have 4 to 8 hooks.
Fishing Techniques
Our local fishermen use traditional fishing techniques combined with modern technology to catch fish in a sustainable and efficient manner. From longlining to handline fishing, each method is carefully selected to preserve the quality of our seafood.
Processing Facility
Once the seafood is caught, it goes through our state-of-the-art processing facility where the highest standards for freshness and quality are maintained. Our team ensures that each product is handled with care and precision, preserving its natural flavors.
Experience the Best of the Sea
Explore our range of fresh seafood products and taste the difference today.
