Adjustment of Parameters for Numerical Simulation of Fishing Net Dynamics Using a Data Assimilation Method

This study applied a data assimilation method and a fishing-net dynamics simulation to estimate the purse-seine net geometry in a real operation with unknown current vectors. The current vectors in the numerical simulation were adjusted by data assimilation, such that the net geometry in the numerical simulation was similar to that obtained from three global positioning system sensors and depth sensors attached to an actual net. The computational results show that if the local dynamics of the net can be determined, the currents can be estimated and the dynamics of the net can be reproduced.