Abstract: An in-line planer board assembly incorporates hydrofoil designs at various key locations in order to maximize fluid movement efficiencies. Optionally, the planer board assembly further includes a spring-loaded fishing line release, also exemplified in a universal embodiment for use with other planer boards. Another option is a snap-in forward line release bracket useful when an angler wishes to fish from the opposite side of the boat, or for creating a smaller storage space requirement while storing the planer boards away between angling trips.

Abstract: Various planer boards are provided that include a body having a tapered leading end, a guiding assembly located at a trailing end of the body, and a gripping assembly extending away from a front surface of the body. The planer boards may be securely attached to a fishing line via the guiding assembly and the gripping assembly in order to bias the line to one side when the planer board is moved through water. To allow a user quickly and easily attach/remove a fishing line, the planer board may include a single-release actuator that opens only the gripping assembly and a dual-release actuator that simultaneously releases both the guiding assembly and the gripping assembly.

Abstract: The present invention relates to trawl doors used in trawl fishing, including shallow water trawl fishing applications, deep water trawl fishing applications, bottom trawl fishing applications as well as at pelagic trawl fishing applications. The invention also relates to seismic surveillance line spreading and spreading of other items towed in water. The present application provides a novel trawl door design with improved stability and efficiency. The inventors are able to demonstrate smaller angles of attack using the trawl door of the present invention, which is as little as 7.5 degrees.

Abstract: A buoy comprising: an annular upper portion disposed on a lower portion; a drain hole disposed in the upper portion proximate to the lower portion; a handhold disposed in the upper portion distal to the lower portion; an attachment member disposed in the lower portion and protruding from a bottom of the lower portion, wherein the bottom is opposite the upper portion; and wherein at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion comprises a closed cell foam.

Abstract: The invention has a curved board. The curved board is formed into a shape that curves in a curving direction corresponding to an expanding direction of a net opening in a towing state, from a front-side end section that is a front side in a towing direction in the towing state towards a rear-side end section that is a rear side in the towing direction in the towing state. At least one of a projecting structure having a projecting surface, a top board, and a bottom board is formed in the curved board.

Abstract: The invention has a curved board. The curved board is formed into a shape that curves in a curving direction corresponding to an expanding direction of a net opening in a towing state, from a front-side end section that is a front side in a towing direction in the towing state towards a rear-side end section that is a rear side in the towing direction in the towing state. At least one of a projecting structure having a projecting surface, a top board, and a bottom board is formed in the curved board.

Abstract: An apparatus for harvesting aquatic animals has a cod end portion and an elongate lengthener portion. The cod end portion has an open leading end and a closed trailing end and side wall(s), the side wall(s) and the trailing end being substantially impervious to water. The elongate lengthener portion has a leading end, a trailing end, and side wall(s), at least a major part of the side wall(s) comprising a material substantially impervious to water. The trailing end of the lengthener portion is operatively connected to the leading end of the cod end portion. The elongate lengthener portion comprises a plurality of escapements through which water can pass from an interior to an exterior of the apparatus to cause a general reduction in the water flow rate inside the apparatus when the apparatus is submerged in a body of water and there is water flow relative to the apparatus.

Abstract: A trawl door, deflector, vane or paravane (40) constructed with adjustable panels (22, 23, 24) and driving units (25) for control the water flow through the spreading device during towing through the water with remote control where driving units (25) are used to adjust the position of the panels control the water flow through the spreading device and maneuver the spreading device in optimum position in the towing direction, horizontally or vertically, the panels are adjustable independently to give enhanced performance of the operating systems, fishing trawl or seismic survey system, without having to pull the system to the towing vessel to adjust manually.

Abstract: An improved trawl door that provides by combination of certain camber relationships of leading edge slats relative to a main deflector body, in certain aspect ratios, with certain thickness relationships for plates forming leading edge slats and a main deflector body where such leading slats and such main deflector body are formed with a similar curvature to their exterior (i.e. “outer”) and interior (i.e. “inner”) side surfaces, a trawl door that provides a maximally efficient trawl door of superior efficiency, of superior stability, useful at a wide range of angles of attack. In certain embodiments a perforate slat is disposed above a leading edge slat. In certain other embodiments, a perforated slat is disposed above a main deflector body, and certain constructions of support plates are useful for protecting the various perforated slats.

Abstract: A net-mouth inclined trawl-net apparatus includes a substantially rectangular frame and a trawl net attached to the frame. The trawl net is formed of an upper net, a lower net, and a pair of side nets, and the trawl net has a shape formed of a body part of a quadrangular trapezoid shape. Each of the side nets attached to the frame has a longer side and a shorter side as an upper side and a lower side, and a side of each side net defining a net-mouth edge defines a side-net front edge inclination angle relative to a bottom side of an isosceles trapezoid having the shorter side of the side net as a side of the isosceles trapezoid, so that the frame autonomously maintains an inclination angle relative to the vertical axis due to a flow resistance and a lift acting on the net.

Abstract: The invention has a curved board. The curved board is formed into a shape that curves in a curving direction corresponding to an expanding direction of a net opening in a towing state, from a front-side end section that is a front side in a towing direction in the towing state towards a rear-side end section that is a rear side in the towing direction in the towing state. At least one of a projecting structure having a projecting surface, a top board, and a bottom board is formed in the curved board.

Abstract: A trawl net layer-by-layer collecting device includes a rectangular cylindrical frame configured to draw a plurality of trawl nets that are arranged in an up and down direction. The frame includes an upper edge to which a net mouth edge of an upper net of the uppermost trawl net is anchored, and a lower edge to which a net mouth of a lower net of the lowermost trawl net is anchored. A pair of vertical bars are disposed on opposed sides of the frame. A slider having opposed ends slidably engaged with the vertical bars, the slider anchoring thereto the net mouth edge of the lower net of the upper trawl net and the net mouth edge of the upper net of the lower trawl net. A net-mouth opening and closing unit is configured to lock the sliders on upper ends of the vertical bars, and unlock the locked sliders one by one; and a controller.

Abstract: A method and an arrangement for trawling wherein trawl are bags positioned one above the other and towed by a single trawl vessel is disclosed. The bag(s) are continuously emptied of caught seafood/biomass via an injector assisted suction hose connected to a bottom end of the bag(s), and leading to the trawler vessel. In the case of two trawl bags, one above the other, the uppermost trawl bag is along the upper trawl opening portion equipped with a plurality of buoyancy bodies, and the lower trawl bag's lower trawl opening portion, at the outer ends, is equipped with weights or sinkers. Spreading of trawl opening(s) is effected either by otter boards, or a spreading member linked to the trawl opening portions. Tension lines pass from the outer ends of the upper trawl opening portion to the outermost positioned joining points for the trawl bags, and to the weights or sinkers.

Abstract: An improved trawl door (10) is adapted for being towed through water both at shallower and at larger angles of attack. The trawl door (10) includes at least one main deflector (24, 25) having a profile (46) formed by an inner surface (48) and an outer surface (47). The profile (46) spans a chord length “C” that extends along a Chord Direction Line (83) between leading and trailing edges (12, 14) of the main deflector (24, 25). The trawl door also includes at least one leading edge slat (20, 22) at least a portion of which is located in front of the outer surface (47) of the main deflector. The trawl door (10) in one aspect is characterized by an acute angle of inclination (91, 92) between a chord line (81, 82) of the leading edge slat (20, 22) and the Chord Direction Line (83) that is at least thirty-five degrees) (35°). The trawl door (10) in another aspect is characterized by having an aspect ratio of at least two to one (2.0:1.0).

Abstract: A trawl door (20, 60) or a paravane (120, 140) having at least one main deflector (22, 22U, 22L) includes a permeable structure disposed adjacent to and separated from an outer surface (34) of the main deflector (22, 22U, 22L). The permeable structure extends from near a trailing edge (26, 26U, 26L) of the main deflector (22, 22U, 22L) over and separated from the outer surface (34) toward the main deflector's leading edge (24, 24U, 24L). In one embodiment of the permeable structure, a plurality of apertures (54, 56) pierce a perforated slat (52, 52U, 52L) thereby establishing a porous surface adjacent to the outer surface (34) of the main deflector (22, 22U, 22L). Adding the permeable structure perforated slat (52, 52U, 52L) to a trawl door (20, 60) increases the trawl door's stability when the trawl door is towed through water at a high angle of attack, and also reduces the trawl door's drag when operating at a high angle of attack.

Abstract: A netting arrangement for use in trawling is described. The arrangement includes a grid portion 120 which is desirably collapsible and is formed from a plurality of loops. Each of the loops are provided with four sides, two sides having a substantially rigid nature and being separated from one another by flexible interconnectors. A netting and ramp arrangement is also described wherein the ramp assists in the selective expulsion of juvenile and small fish from the net.

Abstract: To provide a lightweight trawl net layer-by-layer collecting device capable of autonomously switching opening and closing of a net mouths of trawl nets.

Abstract: The assembly comprises a frame-truss subassembly, to which are attached an internal subassembly for directing a flow of encountered water during dragging and a subassembly for collecting and discharging shellfish. An external subassembly is used for encasing the frame-truss subassembly together with the internal subassembly and the subassembly for collecting and discharging shellfish. The frame-truss subassembly includes a pair of lateral trusses, spaced at a distance commensurable with a width of the assembly. The internal subassembly includes an anterior panel with a forwards oriented concavity and a posterior panel with a backwards oriented concavity. The subassembly for collecting and discharging, disposed behind the internal subassembly includes a louver platform, a grid receptacle supported by the platform and a mechanism for topple over the grid receptacle. At least two sets of a multiplicity of hinged flaps are used.

Abstract: There is provided a trawl-net collecting apparatus of net-mouth inclination maintainable type capable of autonomously maintaining a posture thereof.

Abstract: A trawl door having enhanced and rather high efficiency, lightness of weight in water and ease of manufacture. The trawl door preferably includes at least one slat and preferably two slats (6, 7) disposed forward of the leading edge (31) of a single main deflector body (2), and the main deflector has a profile wherein: (I) the outer side surface (28) of said main deflector body exhibits greater camber than does the inner side surface (29) of said main deflector body; (II) the thickest part of the profile of said main deflector body is located front of center; and (III) the outer side surface (28) is convex and the inner side surface (29) is concave. In one aspect the trawl door of the invention including at least a synthetic portion, preferably a mixture of a polyamide and an elastomer, whereby the synthetic material forming the at least a synthetic portion of the trawl door receives impacts fracture free.

Abstract: A trawl door for pelagic fishing comprises an accurately shaped main deflector portion (24, 25) provided with a leading edge lift enhancing structure constituted by a plurality of slats (20, 22) which form leading edge slats. At least the main deflector portion, as preferably also the slats are formed of plate metal for ease of construction. The preferred embodiment is a V-shaped trawl door made up of two sections (28, 29) of door.

Abstract: The invention relates to a module (100) which is attached to a trawl, and which at least comprises measuring sensors (330) and a power supply unit. (320) The sensors are basically inactive, but can be activated as the need arises to measure different parameters. In an embodiment the module also includes a power-generating movement device connected to a charging device that can supply energy to the power supply unit. The module may also include communication means. In an alternative embodiment the module ma include a trawl door that can drag the drawl in a desired direction. Several modules may be (combined to form a system that both measures different parameters and positions the trawl in order to achieve an optimal trawling process.