Author Topic: Safety regulations / standards for towed fish operations  (Read 5739 times)

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Offline Jolly Roger

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Safety regulations / standards for towed fish operations
« on: July 22, 2011, 04:23:24 AM »
Hey guys,

I was wondering the other day if we should have a thread concerning safety standards when deploying ours fishes, so I just start with it and shoot away:

Most of the time, I'm on my own on the boat and don't have a second person on board. Therefore I proceed like this.

1. Always wear a life vest when handling your fish.
Common sense here. Make sure the vest can handle the extra weight of the fish in case you're falling or get dragged over board by the fish.

2. Stay away from the cables.
My fish weighs 25 kg (50 pounds) plus the weight of the extended cable. I always make sure that I stay away from the cable in order not to get "looped in". If I get entangled by the cable, I for sure will not be able to stay afloat with 25+ kg hooked up to my foot, arm, body or what ever.

3. Do not operate the cable while the engine is engaged.
If caught by the cable for any reason and the boat is in motion you'll be dragged under water just by the downforce of the fish.
I rather let the fish drop to the bottom and drive it clear again, than taking the risk of having the boat running without someone on the helm/throttle.

4. Make sure that your way is clear when the fish is deployed and you're underway
Getting your fish caught in a fisher net will not just result in a unnecessary recovery operation for your fish. The owner of the net will be pretty upset if it gets damaged by someone trying to get images of the seabed without official permission or orders.  I think we all know what I mean. Same story about other "known" underwater installations.

5. Check you're surroundings when you're underway.
I managed to nearly drive into a nature reservation being too occupied with the screen. Luckily I rammed a marker buoy and heard the bang when I entered the reservation....(I wrote about it somewhere here in one of my first posts). Think about swimmers, divers, other boaters, piers and so on.

That's it from my side for a start.
I'm sure you guys also had some close calls and I hope you are willing to share your experiences with us. After all, we are all in the "same boat" and old enough not to be too embarrassed about our screw ups and to share them with others so they don't have to go the same road  ;). Maybe we even come up with some funny stories as well.

So jump in and fill this thread with life.

Regards from the sandbox / Harry
« Last Edit: July 22, 2011, 01:41:46 PM by Jolly Roger »
YES,......
WE SCAN!


Offline Rickard

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Re: Safety regulations / standards for towed fish operations
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2011, 06:39:19 AM »
Very good initiative Harry!

I believe we can foresee a dramatic increase in scanning with a towfish as a result of the existence of the affordable HB units and the activities at this forum. There will be incidents and I think we have some degree of responsibility for reducing the risks involved in activities which to some extent have been triggered by us.

I would like to add another recommendation: use two anchor points during lowering and lifting the towfish. This can be arranged with two clam cleats or camcleats. One of the anchor points should grip the wire at all times. This will 'guarantee' the towfish won't sink more than a limited length if you drop it. (I have not implemented this safety system yet).

Rickard

Offline Roddy

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Re: Safety regulations / standards for towed fish operations
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2011, 12:12:34 PM »
Harry; I too do a bit of solo tow fish and at times it can a bit intense!!! The standred personal flotation device (PFD) can float 14.0 lbs (6 kg). So if a person is pulled overboard in a 20 kg tow fish cable intanglement???


"SAFTY FIRST"

The SS COAST GUARD has a list of REG's covering the towing of underwater eqt.

In the sea bed of my home coast has a large WW2 MINE FIELD that has been somewhat sweep? The meetimg of the tow fish and a old mine is real.

Standards Of Use. Good Let's do it.

Roddy


 
Scan,Scan and Rescan Roddy

Offline Jolly Roger

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Re: Safety regulations / standards for towed fish operations
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2011, 01:57:31 PM »
Exactly what I was thinking about it Rickard!
Thanks for writing it down.
We do have a responsibility of what we do here. I got inspired by threads here and in other forums. When I got out for the first time and faced with the handling problem of my fish, I immediately thought about "what ifs".

Luckily we don't have mine fields in Lake Constance Roddy, but there has been one incident in the 80s where an anchor tow mine surfaced in the middle of the lake and was discovered by a fisherman. It is believed that the mine came from a test site where the German Navy tested equipment during WW II.  Do you have access to the mentioned safety standarts of your coast guard Roddy. It would be nice to see what they have in mind and maybe we don't have to re event the wheel to some extend.

Regards / Harry
YES,......
WE SCAN!

Offline Drifter

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Re: Safety regulations / standards for towed fish operations
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2011, 02:24:35 PM »
Harry,

A very good topic. Keeping the tow cable clear of the propeller is an obvious requirement. Based on the number of boats that get capsized while trying to retrieve hung up anchors, It's probably a good idea to have a plan and the required tool(s) to cut the tow lines / cables if the fish gets hung up. In rough conditions, mark the spot and retrieve it another time.

Tight lines and clear scans,
Darrell

Offline Jolly Roger

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Re: Safety regulations / standards for towed fish operations
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2011, 02:42:19 PM »
Very good point about the cut away tools Drifter.
Thanks for dropping in!!

Regards / Harry
YES,......
WE SCAN!


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