Please note that due to the size and weight of this item, additional shipping costs will apply. We will be in contact once you have placed your order to confirm these costs with you, or if you wish to discuss this before your order, please contact us on 01803 865913 or by email at customer.services@nhbs.com. Due to shipping restrictions we are not able to send this item to locations outside of mainland UK.
Electric fishing (or electro-fishing) has been proven to be a highly efficient and essential technique for monitoring fish populations in rivers and lakes, and performing rescue and relocation work of fish stocks.
Electro-fishing is the process of catching fish by creating an electrical-field through water, around an anode (on a hand held pole) and cathode (trailing in the water behind the operator). This electric field develops a voltage along the length of fish exposed to it, such that 'galvanotaxis' stimulates their nervous system, and they are forced to swim towards anode (the source of the field). At a point approaching the source of the field, the fish enters the hold-zone, where the field is then of sufficient strength to temporarily immobilise them and thus aid in their capture.
This 500 Watt Backpack System is a complete electrofishing solution in one 'easy to transport' box. Compact, portable and rugged, the system been engineered with the user in mind; from quick change battery modules, a comfortable and ergonomic harness and anode grip, smart tilt and safety sensors and a simple yet intuitive control interface.
The 500 W Backpack System comes with a printed user manual and a laminated quick start guide, and contains the following components: 500 W backpack, Anode pole (without ring), Anode ring, Cathode, 7.5 Ah Battery pack allowing 60 min of continuous fishing at 150 W, Battery charger and Transit case. Spare batteries can also be purchased separately.
To minimise stress on wildlife during the fishing process, the backpack has been designed to meet the latest best practice electrofishing guidelines, and utilises high-speed microprocessor technology to digitally synthesise the output waveforms while closely monitoring delivered power and voltage.
For safety, the backpack uses state-of-the-art accelerometer technology to constantly measure the tile angle of the backpack in all directions. When ducking under branches, vegetation or obstacles at the side of rivers, the backpack will momentarily disable fishing until the operator straightens up, allowing maximum mobility with minimum hassle--but should the operator have stumbled and fallen, the backpack will then enter into its "emergency" state, and prevent further operation until fully reset.
Additionally, the backpack includes an optical immersion sensor (minimising reliability issues commonly seen with conventional float-type sensors) that stops fishing should the operator wade or fall into deep water, and an internal thermal sensor to ensurethe unit does not over-heat under high-load conditions.
'Quick-Change' battery packs to allow the user to swap power sources without the need to open any housings or re-route cabling. Several sizes (and weights) are available to suit every operator and budget.
Please note that the nature of the high-voltage electric fields in the presence of water makes electro-fishing a potentially hazardous activity for both the operator, and assistants. As such, close attention must paid to operating procedures, user training and safety, so before proceeding the manufacturer strongly recommends that you read all the safety, deployment and operation guidelines in the user manual, and take these into consideration along with your organisations own safety policies.
Furthermore note that many countries impose legal restrictions, legislation and regulations on the use of electro-fishing techniques. Before using your fishing system you should always check with the government agency that has overall responsibilities for regulating fisheries in your geographical location.
Dimensions:
Backpack and harness: 555 x 240 x 140 mm
Battery pack: 240 x 200 x 85 mm
Charger: 170 x 105 x 55 mm
Anode pole: Tip to: armrest 1400 mm, grip 1040 mm
Anode ring: 300 mm diameter
Cathode: 2 m total (1 m cable plus 1 m tail)
Weight:
Backpack and harness: 6.6 kg
Battery pack: 6.3 kg (7.5 Ah) or 3.9 kg (3.3 Ah)
Anode pole and ring: 1.6 kg
Construction:
Housings: ABS & Acetal plastic
Cabling: Kevlar reinforced, 3 kV insulated cable with 1.5 mm2 conductor cross section
Anode pole: Fibreglass, ABS and polyurethane
Anode ring: Stainless steel
Cathode: 25 mm tinned copper braid
Fishing controls:
Voltage output 50 V to 500 V, in 5 V steps
Power limiting 10 W to 500 W, in 10 W steps
Duty cycle 10% to 100% (DC), in 5% steps
Frequency range 10 Hz to 100 Hz, in 5 Hz steps
Fishing Timer 1 to 30 minutes, in 1 minute steps
User controls:
Backpack: emergency stop & reset buttons, 7 button keypad
Anode pole: Fishing trigger
Sensors: 2-axis tilt, optical immersion, internal thermal, output voltage and power
Battery voltage: Nominal 24 V DC (18 V DC to 26 V DC)
Temperature: 0° to +40°C in air
Environmental ratings:
Backpack: IP66
Battery pack: IP68
Anode pole: IP68
Battery charger: IP50