STANDARDISED trawl and codend sizes would mean fishermen could save money on replacements instead of making expensive repairs to existing custom nets, says a Danish netmaker.

Knud Carlsen of Esbjergbased Carlsen Net AS tells FNI: "If nets were standard sizes then it would save fishermen money on replacements.

The advantage of having a custom net would be outweighed by the money saving.

"But we need to be selling our netting at the right price.

It's a new way to think, but you have to be looking forward."

He tells FNI that his company's partnership with Indian netmakers GarwareWall is intended to provide high quality netting at the right price.

Knud Carlsen says: "GarwareWall can produce 15 tonnes of Sapphire netting every 24 hours, seven days a week."

This massive production capacity - coupled with the expertise that the experienced Danish netmakers are passing on during their trips out to GarwareWall's Indian factories - is producing netting being used in Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic factory trawlers.

Carlsen Net AS specialises in making high quality Dyneema netting that Knud Carlsen tells FNI there will be a market for, even in the face of lower cost netting.

"Even though Dyneema is more expensive, it saves on fuel because of how light it is.

Therefore, it can actually save fishermen money in the long run."

He tells FNI that codends made by GarwareWall have been used aboard a Swedish factory trawler run by Tormo Trawl landing in Hirtshals.

"In future, we feel that we can supply more boats with sapphire netting codends. This is something that we are looking at for the future."

Knud Carlsen reports that the future is looking good for Esbjerg's trawler fleet and, by extension netmakers, because catches of sandeel are on the rise.

"Trawlers from Esbjerg have been coming into port with catches from 800-1000 tonnes of sandeel, which we have not seen for a long time."

He tells FNI that catches of the industrial species had been almost non-existent in recent seasons. "Now, it's good for the fishermen and it's good for us, " he says.

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Standard nets 'save on repairs'