THE fish could always be biting for fanatics thanks to an Adelaide smartphone app that helps record their best spots as well as those of other lucky anglers.

Fish Pirate is the app developed by Adelaide businessman Paul Massey and his fishing mates. A new online mapping tool to identify local fish species has also been launched.

The application combines the technology in the iPhone/iPad with GPS capability to capture the locations up to one nautical mile on water and several nautical miles, if you are on a cliff top capturing spots out to sea, by simply pointing the phone in the direction of the object.

A pirate scope allows users to input altitude information to help determine the exact co-ordinates of the location being "pirated".

Fish Pirate, which retails at $2.99 in Apple's iTunes store, has been downloaded 250 times in the first two months.

"Most sales are from Australia, then the US and Canada, but also including the Netherlands, Italy and, would you believe, Botswana," Mr Massey said.

"This is great for us because we know for example that in the USA, there are approximately 60 million registered anglers."

Australian fishing enthusiasts will also welcome the launch of the FishMap, a free online mapping tool by the CSIRO and the Atlas of Living Australia.

It helps to find information about local fish species by exact location and/or depth throughout the marine waters of Australia's continental shelf and slope. In SA, it covers Cape Jaffa, Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln.

More information on the paid Fish Pirate application can be found on fishpirate.net and you can access the free map at fish.ala.org.au.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/so ... ry-e6frea83-1226585400519