At the end of February, one of our flagship projects, Smartrawl, was showcased at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow (22–27 February). Held every two years, the global conference brings together thousands of marine researchers to share cutting-edge science, exchange ideas, and build collaborations across the ocean science community.
On 25 February, Smartrawl inventor Paul Fernandes, Professor at Heriot-Watt University, presented the latest developments in the system and reported on last year’s sea trials. His talk highlighted the intelligent technology’s potential to support sustainable fisheries.
Developed by Heriot-Watt researchers, Smartrawl is a precision in-water sorting device designed to improve selectivity of demersal trawl fisheries. Combining a stereo camera, an AI-enabled computer, and a patented rotating gate, the system can identify and size fish in real time – allowing for the retention of valuable target catches while releasing non-target species back into the sea unharmed.
2025 saw the first full-scale deployment of the fully integrated Smartrawl system at sea off the coast of Shetland. As well as demonstrating the technology’s potential, the trials generated valuable data to inform further development across the system’s components, including improvements to Smartrawl’s patented gate – which was displayed at the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) exhibition stand, during the meeting.
Last year’s trials saw the gate successfully complete its first at-depth rotation, demonstrating that it can reliably switch between catch and release positions underwater – an important step in proving the technology can operate in real fishing conditions. Further successful rotation trials were carried out in the Firth of Forth last autumn.
Since 2015, FIS has supported Smartrawl from its earliest design stages through its technological development. With further developments underway we are looking forward to the coming months. Stay tuned for more updates.
Read more about the Smartrawl project here: https://fisorg.uk/smartrawl/
