Kaliningrad · Fishering Service
We study fishing gear, test trawl doors and work with fishing crews to find the right adjustments for their operations.
Kaliningrad’s flume tank is part of the fishing industry’s engineering history. We restored it so that history could continue through new research and practical work.
The channel was built and commissioned for research into commercial fishing gear. Water circulates in a closed loop, while side and bottom windows allow researchers to observe a model in the working section. That section is 14 metres long, 3 metres wide and 2 metres deep.
History and design: KSTU dissertation, pp. 38–39 (Russian)Fishering Service took a long-term lease on the tank and carried out a major refurbishment. The propeller assembly, motor controls and glazing were renewed, and a classroom was equipped beside the channel.
The renovated facility reopened that autumn. In its year review, the company reported its first November trials and the transfer of most experimental work to this facility. Specialists from Kaliningrad and Murmansk joined the research.
From our archive: the 2020 year review (Russian)Designers, skippers, trawl masters and future industry professionals meet at the tank. Here they can test an idea in flowing water, see the effect of an adjustment and discuss the result at the observation window.
Model trials reveal what is difficult to see from a vessel: the trawl’s shape, the behaviour of its rigging and its response to changing settings. They are a stage in development before testing under real fishing conditions.
We study how a net structure behaves in the flow, compare rigging arrangements and observe how adjustments change trawl geometry. Practical sessions cover seabed contact, the amount of warp paid out and the influence of external forces.
This makes discussion of design changes concrete: participants can work from both a drawing and the model’s actual behaviour underwater.
Doors provide the horizontal spread of a trawl system. Their development involves comparing spreading force, drag and stability at different angles of attack.
We test experimental prototypes in the tank, including models made using 3D printing. The company described this work on new ATLANTIKA and CLIPPER series doors in 2024.
Research and professional training (Russian)
Practical sessions for your team
Seminars combine theory with observation of a working model. Skippers and trawl masters discuss adjustments with fishing gear designers, while students encounter the challenges they will face in practice.
The company works with Kaliningrad State Technical University and Kaliningrad Marine Fishery College. The tank connects classroom learning, engineering and the experience of fishing crews.
Practical training and education partnerships (Russian)Choose a view: the overview camera shows the hall, the underwater camera is submerged during trials, and the PTZ camera offers another view of the facility.
These are broadcast hours; trials may not be taking place throughout the stream. Outside these hours, the player shows the next scheduled broadcast.
Tell us about your task — adjusting fishing gear or arranging a practical session for your team, online or at our flume tank.
