A robotic solution for NETTAG lost fishing net problem

This paper presents an autonomous robotic system, IRIS, designed for lost fishing gear recovery. The vehicle was developed in the context of the NetTag project. This is a European Union project funded by EASME the Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises addressing marine litter, and the reduction of quantity and impact of lost fishing gears in the ocean. NetTag intends to produce new technological devices for location and recovery of fishing gear and educational material about marine litter, raise awareness of fisheries industry and other stakeholders about the urgent need to combat marine litter and increase scientific knowledge on marine litter problematic, guaranteeing the engagement of fishers to adopt better practices to reduce and prevent marine litter derived from fisheries. The design of IRIS is presented in detail, addressing the mechanical design, hardware architecture, sensor system and navigation and control. Preliminary tests in tank and in controlled sea conditions are presented and ongoing developments on the recovery system are discussed.