Geoff has written to Finfish wondering if there are any users of Kikkonet steel mesh netting that would like to share their experiences/positives/negatives.
If anyone would like to share their thoughts on this topics, please comment on this post!
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Our company currently runs 7 cages fitted with Kikko nets, and has another 9 nets on order from the manufacturer in Japan. The nets we have are not steel but are made from a rigid plastic wire that is woven together in the same manner as chicken wire, albeit quite a bit heavier gauge.
While expensive compared to textile netting the Kikko material is very strong and does not foul as quickly. The shiny surface of the netting means that biofouling is easily removed by regular in situ cleaning.
So far the only damage by predators has been in the base of the net where holes have been created by sharks eating dead fish. We believe that this situation is the result of using individual net weights rather than a rigid ring as recommended by the manufacturer. The rigid ring keeps the base of the net tight, preventing predators from getting a hold of loose material which they can chew, eventually resulting in a hold. If you have problems with sharks I recommend that base frames are installed in the first instance.