Ropeless Fishing Shows Promise, But There’s a Catch: Financial, Safety, Technology Challenges

Rob Martin, a lobsterman of 29 years, tests ropeless fishing gear in Cape Cod Bay. (Eve Zuckoff/CAI)

The lobster industry could be getting a new sound.

On a cold January morning, a lobster trap sitting on a table at a manufacturing facility in Wareham is rhythmically beeping. Two final beeps have a special meaning.

“So that’s the release confirmation,” explained Rob Morris, who sells acoustic release systems for the underwater technology company EdgeTech.

With this technology, lobstermen can send the acoustic signal from a phone app to a trap on the ocean floor. The signal triggers an airbag, with a line attached, to launch up to the surface, allowing the traps to be hauled in. These “ropeless” systems do away with the high number of vertical lines that run from buoys on the surface down to traps on the ocean floor.

Read the rest of the story at CAI’s website.