Jumper a trawl otter board with reduced environmental impact

Otter boards, or trawl doors, which form part of a trawler's gear are used to keep the nets spread wide while being towed by the boat. The impact of trawling, and particularly of bottom-trawl doors, on the benthic environment is a persistent and major problem with this fishing technique.

The JUMPER project will perfect a prototype, fuel-saving otter board with minimal impact on the environment and will develop a system to monitor this impact.
A low-impact otter board prototype, known as the 'Jumper', has already been developed as part of two other projects - Degree and Optipêche. This board is designed to tip as soon as it reaches the seabed, adjusting to its relief and features.

Initial tests of this prototype have demonstrated that, in addition to minimising the impact on habitat, it has the potential to save fuel. However, the otter boards in their current form need longer, slower pull lines. The JUMPER project will therefore optimise the board's immersion and maximise its fuel-saving capacity. To prove that it is of genuine economic interest and to realise its industrial application, the JUMPER otter board will also be adapted to suit different-sized vessels in different fisheries.