Summary
The introduction of mitigation standards and subsequent changes to regulations to reduce the incidental captures of seabirds in bottom longline fisheries now require that hooks are protected by the aerial extent of the tori line until they have reached a depth of 5m. Voluntary Mitigation Standards also state that this depth should be adjusted to 10m during high-risk periods. To date, bottle tests, which can be inaccurate and difficult to use, have been the only way of collecting this information.
This project delivered a sink rate management tool enabling small-vessel bottom longline fishers to both meet regulatory requirements for sink rate records and to assess and manage sink rates to reduce the risk to seabirds. The mobile application is compatible with ZebraTech’s Bluetooth-enabled sink rate sensors which are designed for offline use in offshore environments. The app allows fishers to configure gear setups, record sink rate data, and visualise performance through intuitive graphs and summaries. Key functionalities include automated data offloading, gear-specific data assignment, and export options for CSV, PDF, and image formats, supporting robust reporting and compliance.
Development was completed using a cross-platform React Native framework, ensuring compatibility across iOS and Android devices. The app incorporates advanced features such as geolocation, BLE device discovery, and offline-first data storage, alongside a user-friendly interface built on Material Design principles. Testing covered both simulated and real-world scenarios, validating Bluetooth reliability, data accuracy, and usability under operational conditions. The final product provides fishers and DOC liaison officers with a practical, scalable tool for adaptive management, contributing to improved seabird protection and streamlined data collection across the fleet.