Marco discusses the importance of training, experience & optimizations for the evaluation and fisher's operation of ropeless systems. Using ropeless fishing gear for the first time is similar to learning how to ride a bicycle. Would you claim the bicycle is faulty the first time you fall off or would you keep learning until you become proficient?

1. The Importance of
Training, Experience & Optimizations
for
The Evaluation & Fisher’s Operation of Ropeless
Marco Flagg
CEO, Desert Star Systems LLC
Ropeless Consortium Meeting 2020

2. Observations
• Release mechanisms failed 20 percent of the time and had to be
abandoned.
• Gear is unmanageably slow and prone to be lost at sea.
Conclusions
• It would make marine mammal interactions with lost gear more
frequent, not less.
• It would make profit impossible.

3. WhyThis Contrast?
Ropeless is…
• Slow
• Increases Gear Loss
• Cannot Make a Profit
• Technology is faulty

4. WhyThis Contrast?
Fisher Rosskelly…
• Saved SignificantTime
• Reduced Gear Loss
• Went from #20 to #2 in state by landings

5. Pop-Up Fail vs. Experience

6. Pop-Up Fail vs. Equipment Loss

7. Pop-Up Fail vs. Equipment Loss

8. Why Ropeless Gear Loss Rates
Are Low
1. Not subject to surface risks such as boat strikes,
entanglement, vandalism, poaching.
2. You can localize submerged gear with acoustic ranging or
depth sounder. You know if it’s still there.
3. Precision location & grappling skills of ropeless fishers
translate to high recovery rates.
4. Value of release provides a higher economic incentive for
recovery.

9. Ski or Skier?

10. Boat or Skipper?

11. Ropeless Gear orTester?
Incorrect rigging causes pop-up fail
(Credit: Kim Sawicki, SST)

12. 90.00%
91.00%
92.00%
93.00%
94.00%
95.00%
96.00%
97.00%
98.00%
99.00%
100.00%
Learning Teaching Mastery
Release Success Rope/Buoy Success
Success Rates Based on Proficiency with
Six Different Ropeless Devices
(Credit: Kim Sawicki, SST)

13. SST Results for Desert Star ARC-1
(Operated in broadcast mode)
(Credit: Kim Sawicki, SST)
Total test deployments since 2019: 205
Total pop-up fails: 17 (4.8%)
Bag rigging error at “learning” level: 15
Failure to power the STM-4 deck box: 1
Failure to properly secure release wire: 1
Failure of release mechanism: 0
Kim showing bag rigging mistake

14. Conclusions:
• The pop-up reliability of ropeless devices strongly depends on the
experience of the operator.
• Gear loss rates should be significantly below static buoy systems. An
experienced operator will consider submerged gear ‘safe’ and surfaced
gear ‘at risk’
• Ropeless can safe significant amount of time by improving gear access in
high currents, or avoiding the need to patrol fishing grounds. But, time
savings also require boat and workflow optimizations.
• In our experience, it takes about three years of ropeless operation for a
fisher to achieve a high level of proficiency, and optimize the boat and
work flow for ropeless.