Drone fishing in Jaffa

Drones can clean plastic from the sea. Turns out they can do so much more: When you want to catch the Big One and don’t have a boat, what do you do? Use your drone. We ran into this man Avram “casting” his line out 400 yards (350 meters) at the Sea Port of Jaffa, in Tel Aviv.

fishing drone cast from bike in Tel Aviv Jaffa

drone fishing line jaffa
The drone is used to drop the bait about 50 meters from shore, much farther than one man can cast

fishing-drone-israel-mediterranean-sea

Low impact fishing using a drone

Local men love to fish but most can’t afford to own a boat. Before work or after they jump down to the sea and cast out there line. But fishing in shallow waters will own bring you home teeny tiny fish called ‘barbunia’ or red mullet and they are really an acquired taste. 

But Avram here who we caught on film uses a very clever approach. He has rigged out his drone with a catch and release apparatus. He ties the baited line of his rod to the drone and then steers his drone out 400 yards, deep enough to where the fishing boats can go. He drops the line and brings the drone back to home base. 

He turns the drone off and then tightens the line manually, and waits. It can take  1 or 2 hours until he catches the big one. And it is worth the wait, he tells me. 

Reeling in the drone

“I catch all kinds of fish,” he says. “Grouper, and even red snapper. I caught a 2.5 red snapper last Friday and we ate it at our Shabbat dinner.”

This is out of the box thinking and definately an innovative Israeli approach to fishing. Using hightech for low-tech ideas and pleasures.  Another way to use drones? Dropping cannabis packets on people of Tel Aviv, of course

Have a story like this to share? Drop me a line [email protected]

Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloostermanhttp://www.greenprophet.com
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]

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