This study aimed to enhance the operational efficiency and safety of offshore eel trap fisheries by developing six types of automated fishing equipment: a bait crusher, bait cutter, main line arranging device, trap cleaning device, eel sorting device, and fish pump system. Sea trials demonstrated that the bait crusher and bait cutter significantly reduced manual labor and processing time while maintaining bait quality. The main line arranging device improved productivity and safety by automating the sorting of looped cords. The trap cleaning device effectively removed fouling organisms using high-pressure water and rotating brushes. The eel sorting device enabled automatic size-based selection, improving resource management and operational efficiency. The fish pump system transferred eels rapidly with minimal physical damage, reducing unloading time by over 80% and decreasing labor requirements. A satisfaction survey of fishery participants confirmed that all developed devices were highly effective in reducing workload, enhancing safety, and improving operational performance. The automated equipment developed in this study is expected to contribute to the sustainable management of offshore eel trap fisheries and to offer potential applicability to other coastal and offshore fisheries.

Fossil fuel combustion during fishing activities is a major contributor to climate changes in the fishing industry. The Tier1 methodology calculation and on-site continuous measurements of the greenhouse gas were carried out through the use of fuel by the coastal and offshore gillnet (blue crabs and yellow croaker) and trap (small octopus and red snow crab) fishing boats in Korea. The emission comparison results showed that the field measurements are similar to or slightly higher than the Tier1 estimates for coastal gillnet and trap. In offshore gillnet and trap fisheries, Tier1 estimate of greenhouse gases was about 1,644-13,875 kg CO2/L, which was more than the field measurement value. The CO2 emissions factor based on the fuel usage was 2.49-3.2 kg CO2/L for coastal fisheries and 1.46-2.24 kg CO2/L for offshore fisheries. Furthermore, GHG emissions per unit catch and the ratio of field measurement and Tier1 emission estimate were investigated. Since the total catch of coastal fish was relatively small, the emission per unit catch in coastal fisheries was four to eight times larger. The results of this study could be used to determine the baseline data for responding to changes in fisheries environment and reducing greenhouse gas emission.