The brothers have established three SMEs to market Hookpod and their other inventions that reduce bycatch in global fisheries.
Longline fishing is used by commercial operators to catch tuna, swordfish and other species in the open sea. It involves the use of lines that are tens of kilometres long, carrying thousands of hooks that catch large numbers of marine animals other than those targeted. This includes seabirds and conservationists are concerned about the tens of thousands of albatrosses that die this way annually. According to the International Union for Conversation of Nature, most of the 22 albatross species are listed as vulnerable, threatened or endangered.
SME tech saves seabirds from death: Ben and Pete Kibel named European Inventor Award 2021 finalists
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British brothers nominated for European Patent Office (EPO) prize for their device that reduces accidental seabird deaths in longline fishing
Pressure-sensitive pod covers hooks at the sea surface but opens when bait sinks to depth of 20 metres
In trials, the technology cut seabird deaths by 95% without reducing catch rates
Munich, 4 May 2021 – The European Patent Office (EPO) announces that British brothers Ben and Pete Kibel have been nominated as finalists in the “SMEs” category of the European Inventor Award 2021 for their invention of a simple, low-cost device that prevents the accidental deaths of seabirds during longline fishing.