Smart Buoys — Gear Tracking & Drift Alerts
Know where your gear is—anytime, anywhere. We deploy satellite-connected smart buoys so crews can see the location and movement of traps, nets, and longlines in real time and get drift alerts that help prevent ALDFG (abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear). There are several applications that are rugged, depth-rated, and transmit over the Iridium satellite network for coverage offshore.
Primary CTA: Talk to us about smart buoys
Secondary CTA: See a sample deployment plan (PDF)
What they do
- Track gear location & motion on a live map; get alerts when gear moves unexpectedly (e.g., weather, vessel interactions).
- Work offshore via Iridium satellite, so there are effectively no coastal “dead zones.”
- Attach to existing setups as a trailer buoy (traps, longlines, gillnets, even FADs).
- Optionally integrate with plotters so position data displays on your wheelhouse screens.
Proven in Atlantic Canada
DFO’s Ghost Gear Fund has supported smart-buoy pilots in Atlantic fisheries (e.g., Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association, LFA 27), where continuous gear tracking helped prevent gear loss and speed retrieval—reducing the chance of ghost gear.
Context: Ottawa’s post-Fiona cleanup removed ~695 tonnes of lost gear in Atlantic Canada—Canada now emphasizes prevention alongside retrieval. Smart buoys are one concrete preventive tool.
How we deploy (fast)
- Site & licence review — confirm species/season, typical set distances, and any reporting requirements.
- Hardware plan — right-size buoy count, attachment method, and alert thresholds. (Trailer buoy or direct line attachment.)
- Install & app setup — mount, pair to the cloud portal, configure geofences & notifications; optional plotter integration.
- Crew briefing (30–45 min) — reading tracks/alerts, retrieval workflow, and how to annotate incidents.
- First-week follow-up — verify alert quality and adjust thresholds.
Where this helps
- Dynamic closures & weather: faster retrieval when grids close or gear drifts.
- Crowded grounds: visibility reduces time wasted searching for sets and helps document interactions.
- Compliance support: improves readiness for lost-gear reporting (you still must report losses/retrievals to DFO).
FAQs
Do smart buoys replace licence conditions?
No. They don’t replace whalesafe/marking/reporting rules, but they support prevention and retrieval. You must still follow DFO reporting (e.g., lost-gear forms).
Will they work offshore?
Yes—Yes—these systems transmit via the Iridium satellite network transmits via the Iridium satellite network, designed for global coverage.
Can my plotter show buoy positions?
Yes—selected deployments integrate buoy data to onboard plotters (via internet/PlotterLink). We’ll confirm compatibility during planning.
Compliance note
We implement vendor-agnostic tracking solutions and map deployments to your license wording and DFO guidance. For reporting, use DFO’s online lost-gear form (and sighted-gear form where applicable).