Protect your catch from killer whales / orcas

Using the Orca Saver provides a win-win situation for fishermen and orcas.

The fisherman’s problem


Long liners worldwide face catch predation by marine mammals. During the hauling of the long lines, opportunistic orca’s visit fishing vessels to snatch fish from the lines as they are retrieved. These smart predators are a serious threat to the long lining industry worldwide. Orcas can seriously reduce the amount of fish like Patagonian toothfish, halibut or black cod landed per fishing trip, causing a great financial loss. With no available products to deter the orcas in the past, captains could do little to avoid this predation then to steam for several days, away from the orcas. The costs of these operations are also enormous.

The orcas’ problem

The long lining industry unwillingly provides the orcas with an abundant and year round easily available food source. Becoming dependent on this unnatural and possible dangerous food source is never beneficial to any predator. Their natural behavior will be reduced and delicate relations in the food web could be pushed out of balance. The added image problem of these thieving orcas could cause negative effects on these animals.

The solution: Orca Saver

In cooperation with Mustad Longline, SaveWave has addressed this problem and developed a product that deters orcas from fishing vessels in an animal- and environmentally friendly way. The Orca Saver emits specially developed and extensively tested acoustic signals that repel orcas from fishing vessels. Both fishermen and researchers are very enthusiastic about the Orca Saver. They recommend the Orca Saver due to its huge economic benefits and animal friendly workings. 

Workings of the Orca Saver

Orcas, like other dolphins, use sonar for hunting and orientation. This highly developed and extremely sensitive system uses ultrasonic frequencies to help the orca locate prey items. The Orca Saver exploits this sixth sense by emitting high energy sound waves and signals to deter the orcas from the immediate area. Years of testing resulted in the ultimate mix of frequency and signal patterns to keep the orcas at bay in an animal friendly way. Both researchers and fishermen are very excited about the workings of this product.

Prior to line-hauling, the Orca Saver has to be lowered overboard using a crane. Optimal effect is achieved by lowering the Orca Saver to ten meters under water. The device has to be turned on prior to hauling to deter orcas from the area before they can start eating from the lines. During the hauling, the Orca Saver keeps emitting signals, creating an orca free zone during operations.

The use of the most modern techniques has made the Orca Saver an easy to use, affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly product.

 

Specifications

 

 

Number of transducers

24 transducers

Number of deterring signals

19 signals

Duration per signal

1 minute

Emitting frequency of sound signals

12 to 40 kHz

Average Orca Saver system power consumption

500 Watt

Peak Orca Saver system power consumption

800 Watt

Orca Saver dimensions (length x width x height)

48 x 36 x 42 cm (19 x 14.1 x 17 inch)

Weight of the Orca Saver

85 kg (187 lbs)

Max operational depth

15 meters

Depth rating

30 meters

Test pressure

3 bar

Operating temperature

0 – 40°C

 

 

Sales

If you have any questions concerning the sales of our Orca Saver, please contact our partner and distributor Mustad Autoline A.S.