GearSenz is a wireless sensor mounted on the fishing gear winch that continuously monitors drum rotation, rotational direction, and winch operating cycles. It records the mechanical activity associated with gear deployment and retrieval, creating an objective digital record of winch operations throughout the fishing trip.

Designed specifically for demanding commercial fishing environments, GearSenz is completely self-contained and requires no signal cabling, no external power supply, and no routine battery replacement or recharging. Once installed, it operates autonomously for up to five years, providing a true "install once, monitor continuously" solution with minimal maintenance and exceptionally low life-cycle cost.

On its own, GearSenz does not determine whether fishing gear has entered or left the water. This information is provided by the NetSenz family of submersible fishing gear sensors, which directly detect water immersion, measure depth, and monitor the underwater behaviour of the fishing gear. Together, GearSenz and NetSenz provide complementary evidence that enables a comprehensive reconstruction of fishing operations.

Together, GearSenz, NetSenz and BlueTraker transform independent evidence sources into evidence-based digital twins of fishing operations. Winch activity, vessel movement, gear immersion, underwater gear behaviour and the unique identity of the fishing gear are automatically correlated to reconstruct each fishing operation with a level of detail that cannot be achieved through vessel positioning alone. The BlueTraker ScreenOne software suite then converts this combined evidence into evidence-based MCS intelligence, enabling fisheries authorities to verify compliance, assess effective fishing effort, investigate lost gear events, and make better-informed operational decisions.

This enables fisheries authorities to reconstruct the complete sequence of fishing events in space and time, distinguish between pelagic and benthic fishing activities, estimate effective fishing effort, and associate every operation with the vessel's officially registered fishing gear. The resulting three-dimensional picture of fishing activity provides significantly richer operational intelligence than vessel positioning alone.

The system also generates objective evidence supporting the verification of reported lost fishing gear events and strengthens the digital chain of evidence used for Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS).

Importantly, GearSenz and NetSenz do not replace the fisherman's legal reporting obligations. Fishing Activity (FA), Fishing Operation (FO), and other operational information continue to be declared through the electronic logbook as required by fisheries legislation. The sensor system provides independent, evidence-based observations that can be correlated with declared information, enabling automated consistency checks, risk assessment, compliance verification, and more efficient fisheries inspections.

The result is an evidence-driven MCS capability that improves data integrity, strengthens fisheries control, supports scientific assessments, and enhances sustainable fisheries management while reducing the need for manual post-event verification.