Jerome Hua, a Massey University student, with the sea sausage product he's helped develop. Photo: Supplied
Cray is not only delicious to many people, but it's also a favourite of rig or lemon fish, with a new bait type called the sea sausage developed to hook them in.
Two New Plymouth fishermen teamed up with a Massey University student to invent the bait in the form of a sausage and made entirely of crayfish waste products supplied by the Fiordland Lobster Company.
Keith Mawson from Egmont Seafoods and fisher Rob Ansley from Ocean Pearl Fisheries were looking for a new bait to attract rig - also known as lemon or spotted dogfish - after switching from trawling to long line fishing to ensure the safety of dolphins.
Keith Mawson from Egmont Seafoods. Photo: Supplied
Mawson explained rig are a valued product that makes for excellent fish in fish and chips both here and in Australia.
"Traditionally rig is caught via trawling or set net, but that form of fishing has had to move away from where the rig are found, to ensure the safety of dolphins in the area, including Maui dolphin.
"We needed to change to long line fishing, however, getting rig to take a hook isn't easy."
He said that meant the area's whole commercial fishery for rig was at risk.
The "sea sausage" as it's called, is made entirely of crayfish waste products supplied by the Fiordland Lobster Company. Photo: Supplied
While crayfish are a favourite of rig, getting bait made of the crustacean waste products - such as crayfish legs - to stay on a hook was too challenging.
It was then they partnered with Jerome Chua, a masters student from Massey University, who helped them develop something more suitable.
Mawson said it took about eight months to perfect the sea sausage and make it suitable for putting on a hook - the exact recipe for which is staying secret for now.
"The trials that we've done thus far, the sausage baits we're producing from the cray is outfishing the cray legs. We thought they were pretty effective but the sausages are performing better than the actual cray legs."
Massey University masters student Jerome Chua and Ocean Pearl Fisheries skipper and managing director Rob Ansley. Photo: Supplied
Ansley, Skipper and MD of Ocean Pearl Fisheries, agreed, adding there was potential to share the new sausage bait with other commercial fishers outside their existing trial.
He said it was "amazing" to see it in action and nothing else seemed to work as reliably.
"The rig love the sausage bait. I had tried all sorts of ways to catch rig on hooks, including crab meat and cray legs.
"Initially I was worried that the rig wouldn't be attracted to the bait because it wouldn't appeal to them visually, but as soon as we started and I saw the results I thought 'nah, we're away'," he said.
The group had support from Callaghan Innovations who helped fund the trials, along with Venture Taranaki and Massey University. The Ministry for Primary Industries also supported the trials with a special permit and assisted the sourcing of the raw materials.
Massey University student Jerome Chua. Photo: Supplied
Mawson said it helped make fishing more sustainable and had a number of environmental benefits.
In addition to being dolphin friendly, it meant waste crayfish that could not be sold to humans and would otherwise end up in landfill found new use.
By keeping the rig population in check through fishing, Mawson said it would also help protect wild crayfish populations from overfishing by rig.
"I think this is a real win-win."
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