Visakhapatnam: The Central Institute for Fisheries Technology (CIFT) has developed a new device called otter boards, which will cut down the cost of fuel of the mechanized boats, venturing into the sea. Increasing fuel cost has become a matter of concern among trawl owners. The primary reason contributing to high fuel consumption is the hydrodynamic drag created by the trawl and its accessories.Otter boards are used for keeping the horizontal opening of the trawl (to keep the mouth of the net open) during operation. The device accounts for 20 per cent of the drag. The commonly used otter boards in India are rectangular or V-shaped.The CIFT has designed and optimized V-form slotted otter boards for use in the Indian trawl fisheries. The new equipment with slots allows smooth water flow or movement, as well as lowering the resistance compared to regular one. The lowering of resistance helps in reducing fuel consumption.Senior scientist at the CIFT, Visakhapatnam, Raghu Prakash said that though the technology was used in European trawl fisheries for some time, these were not optimized for Indian fisheries. “A series of field trials was conducted by the ICAR-CIFT. The outcomes of these trials reveal that the device helps in saving fuel ranging from 2 to 3 liters. Based on the findings, it was estimated that a single day trawler operation for 7 to 8 hours led to the fuel saving of up to 17 to 24 litres. This means a saving of approx. Rs.1800 to Rs.2000.For a multi-day trawlers with an average voyage of 20 days, the total fuel savings would be approximately 480 liters costing Rs.40,000 to Rs. 43,000.“There are about 30, 773 trawlers operating in the country. If 50 % of the trawlers adopt V-form double slotted otter boards more than 7 million litres of fuel can be conserved annually and approximately 19 million kg of carbon dioxide emission can be reduced. The technology will help in reducing the burden of increasing fuel price and also improve the economy of the trawl sector,’’ Raghu Prakash said.Meanwhile, the project funded by the National Fisheries Development Board under the PMSSY, ICAR-CIFT, distributed otter boards to maritime states. The device was distributed to beneficiaries in Vizag, Kakinada, Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam in AP, Dhamra and Paradeep in Odisha and Digha in West Bengal.
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