A NEW scallop dredge belly design will cut costs and be more size selective and environmentally friendly than normal dredges, claims inventor Sean Lambden.

He has been developing the belly and the Irish Sea Fisheries Board (BIM) has now begun trials and is funding the project.

Sean Lambden of Mayglass says the current scallop dredge belly used in Britain and Ireland is not size selective and catches small scallops, queen scallops, crabs and small fish.

In some areas the dredges can only be used for short periods because the belly fills up with sand and shingle.

This increases the number of times the gear has to be hauled, which leads to crew fatigue.

Scallops also fill with sand, affecting their quality due to more rapid deterioration and this limits the time a vessel can remain at sea.

"The belly is subject to excessive wear caused by constant contact with the seabed. In some areas where the ground is very hard, a standard belly might last only eight to ten weeks. The performance of the dredge will deteriorate as the belly gets lighter, " says Sean Lambden.

He says that controlled tests showed that, where undersize scallops are found, his modified dredge held only two undersize scallops as opposed to 20 in a standard dredge.

Sean Lambden's design involves replacing eight rows of the normal steel rings in the dredge belly with a steel fabricated box.

He uses a standard dredge frame unit, with the first four rows of rings joined to the dredge frame being retained to allow flexibility.

The end of the box unit is closed with an apex shape constructed from a series of steel rings, one side of the apex having adjustable rings. Each section is attached to the next using steel bars.

One side can be adjusted to allow for different regulations on minimum size.

Sean Lambden says he got the idea while scalloping at the Kish in the Irish Sea off Dublin.

"It was an accident. The dredges were filling up badly with dirt, although we were catching some massive scallops. We had no conveyor, so we had to just kick the dirt back over and my little legs were aching. That's what started me thinking, " he says.

He drew up a design and began trials on local boats that were successful, with fewer small scallops being caught and a significant reduction in wear.

"The dredge fishes well. It doesn't necessarily catch any more than a normal dredge but it doesn't wear as fast. So, whereas you will find catches going down a bit with the normal dredge, with this new dredge they will stay the same, " says Sean Lambden.

"The real advantage from a fisherman's point of view is that they cut costs and are efficient. They are also better for the environment as well, so that's a bonus."

He made various modifications after the dredges had been tested on different types of ground and in different areas. Also, he and pays tribute to local BIM representative John Hickey who has been "extremely helpful."

The dredge can also be used for removing predators such as starfish.

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Scallop dredge 'more selective'