NET LOSS OR NET GAIN? EVOLUTION OF ONE MAN'S IDEA IS LONG, SLOW PROCESS.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Kent Thomas knew he was in for a challenge when he set out to revolutionize the fishing industry in the late 1970s, but even he wasn't prepared for how long the process would take.

``It's been 20 years,'' Thomas said recently. ``My father always told me that once I decided what I wanted to do with my life, it would take 20 years to accomplish it. Well, here we are.''

Thomas, 54, wants to protect the ocean as well as make the industry more prosperous. His invention, the ``Thomas Drop Net,'' is designed to eliminate bycatch, which are fish and mammals, such as dolphins, that are unintentionally caught and killed in the fishing process. It also reduces costs and increases the amount of fish caught per trip.

And he does it with a helicopter.

Fishing by helicopter? The idea seems odd at first, but remember, Thomas has been working on this concept for 20 years, and he's met his share of doubters along the way.

The concept isn't complicated. A helicopter travels over a body of water, supporting a net that is tied to a hexagonal ring. When the pilot spots a large group of tuna, for example, he lowers the ring and releases the ties on the net, which is 38 feet wide and three stories tall and can hold up to three tons of fish.

When the bottom of the net is twisted closed, it becomes a type of aquarium, and the helicopter carries the fish away, rather than the traditional process, which drags a net through the water and often leads to significant bycatch.

``The fish aren't killed in the process,'' Thomas said. ``If something happens to get caught in there, we can throw it back.''

The process, which works best with fish - such as tuna - which feed near the surface, also allows Thomas to catch younger fish that are too small to be captured the traditional way, which might be the most profitable part of Thomas' plan.

``It's sort of like keeping chickens in captivity,'' Thomas said. ``We can harvest the fish until they get older, and then they become extremely valuable.''

Thomas, a native of Catalina Island who operates his company, Ocean Friendly, out of Signal Hill, thinks he is coming close to earning worldwide acclaim for his invention, which can also be deployed by boat for longer trips.

Moana Pacific, the largest fishery in New Zealand, has signed a development deal to test Thomas' drop net, beginning in September. Thomas has done extensive work in New Zealand and hopes to prove the worthiness of his system there.

The New Zealand agreement represents a major step forward for Thomas after 20 years of frustration. Thomas, who flew a helicopter for the Army in the Vietnam War, became a spotter for commercial fisheries upon his return.

A longtime nature lover, Thomas became instantly dismayed by the amount of bycatch and the general inefficiency of the process, but kept his mouth shut.

``I wasn't going to change anybody's mind up there,'' Thomas said. ``I just decided to study the patterns of the sea.''

Thomas began working on his concept over the years and received a $170,000 grant from the U.S. Commerce Department. He had prototype nets made but ran into significant opposition, and a test Thomas had planned with a skipper in Tacoma, Wash., was dashed.

``We were all ready to go,'' Thomas said, ``and then at the 13th hour, at the last possible second, he said, `There's no way that net is coming on my boat.' ''

Thomas kept working, and borrowed money when the grant and money from private investors ran out. He received permission from the Commerce Department to test the net in New Zealand.

But will it work? Thomas' first trial in New Zealand, in March, failed when the net did not close properly. Thomas declared it a minor setback, and his long-term success will depend largely on whether the fishing industry accepts his concept as a viable alternative.

In a letter to the New Zealand government, Leon LaPorte, an official in the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wrote, ``Anything you can do to further the commercial success of this new fishing technique, which eliminates bycatch and thus furthers the sustainability of the oceans, would be of great benefit to the U.S. and to global fishing interests.''

Thomas knows it will be a slow process, but after 20 years, he has learned the power of patience.

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Photo: (color) The Thomas Drop Net in action - a prototype of the fish-catching system was tested in March in New Zealand, with mixed results.

Special to the Daily News