Since Scanmar was established 40 years ago, 50,000 sensors have been delivered to thousands of fishing vessels and fishery research vessels around the world.
The establishment of Scanmar was the result of many trips on board different fishing vessels, mainly trawling for various species of white fish, pelagic fish and shrimp, made by myself and my colleagues. Though it was obvious to us that it would be possible to increase catches by introducing new products for surveying the fishing gear and catching conditions, it never crossed the minds of most fishermen. Many would find this strange, but it is not. It is normal for most of us: when we have been doing things for a long time, it is hard to accept that there are better ways to do it. While the fishermen were very experienced in what they were doing, and made lots of changes to rigging and other things they thought would improve their catch, our minds were used to electronics, data and acoustics. You could say we were trained in a completely different way of thinking.
Apart from the challenge of developing advanced cable-free signal transmission based on new, unproven technology, strong protective plastic and reliable electronics, the main problem would be telling fishermen how products they had never heard of could help them increase catches and reduce costs. And how was it possible that Scanmar, a newly established company, could invent such a product, when the big worldwide suppliers of electronic fish finders from Norway, Japan, Germany and many other countries had never been close to it?
Understandably, it is difficult for a small, recently established Norwegian company to visit 100 countries to inform about a new product nobody had heard of, not to mention all the fishing ports in those countries. Competent dealers did not exist, since nobody had any knowledge of this type of product, and nobody knew how to use it in various fishing operations. There was a lot of traveling during these years, and I must say it has been rewarding. Not the traveling itself, of course, but meeting fishermen of different nations and cultures, and especially going to sea, observing and learning every detail, which varies very much, even from vessel to vessel doing the same type of fishing. It is all in the head of the skipper.
Scanmar Info
The challenge for us then was to distribute knowledge about the new product, make recommendations on how to use it, and convey information and experience from the skippers that took it on board. It was quite a challenge, and we decided to create a little newspaper, Scanmar Info. Over the years there must have been 50 to 60 editions, each containing 16 to 32 pages, each distributed to thousands of fishing companies, fishing vessels, officers and crew all over the world.
Many skippers have collected them, and we often receive their gratitude for helping them improve their catch. In fact, many say they might have gone bankrupt if it were not for their Scanmar system and what they learned from Scanmar Info.
“Scanmar Info is often called the Bible in Spain, while in Russia it is called the Textbook.”
For me, as a Norwegian, it is not quite clear what a Spanish skipper exactly means by the word Bible, or the Russian by Textbook. The general interpretation is that a bible is a book which tells you how to live, while a textbook gives you information and education meant to help you solve the problems you come across in life. Over almost 40 years, the Bible or Textbook has encouraged thousands of fishing vessels to buy 50,000 sensors to improve their fishing. It is an incredible figure.
This is all history, and of no value anymore. Or is that true?
No, not at all. While some owners and skippers are willing to settle for cheap, simple solutions, today most owners, skippers and crew are thinking ahead about their future: how they will be able to compete on quality, obtain better prices and reduce costs. As in other parts of the food industry, the big distributors of fish are the main customers for many fishing companies, not the local receiver. This makes increasing demands on the fishing companies, and most people in the industry are concerned about their ability to compete in the future.
We see it clearly in the increase in the building of new fishing vessels during the past few years, the high demand for newer second hand vessels and the demand for Scanmar products.
What has this got to do with the Bible and the Textbook? Everything. During almost 40 years of collecting information by speaking to fishermen and going to sea, we have made many observations that will materialise in new sensors and display solutions. The target is to simplify everything and deliver information that will help the skipper quickly make the correct decisions.
A couple of new sensors, ten patents, and closer contact with the skippers and owners thanks to the new technology will be a great step forward. A step that will fulfil the fishermen’s wish for increased catches, improved quality and better prices, in addition to reduced costs. Thanks to very long and close contact with the world’s fishing fleet.