Abstract: A rodent trap comprises a stiff U-shaped spring with long outstretched arms and wire half-noose that are normally closed tightly together. A folding spreader mechanism at the base of the U-shaped spring holds the long outstretched arms apart until a trigger allows the spreader to fold up. The folding spreader mechanism is prevented from extending over-center and locking like a knee joint as near the point of going over-center, a tiny force like a trigger keeps the folding spreader mechanism extended even against strong spring pressures.

Abstract: An animal trap including jaws rotatably coupled together at a distal end, each of the jaws having one or more portions that are transverse to a longitudinal axis of the animal trap, a spring axially mounted substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the animal trap, the spring being configured to provide a rotating force to one or more of the jaws, and a pan hinged on one of the one or more transverse portions and configured to restrain a trip wire when pressure is applied to the pan releasing the rotating force provided by the spring and causing one or more of the plurality of jaws to rotate together.

Abstract: There is referred to a process and an arrangement for control of one or more trawls (12, 40, 42) which are towed after a vessel (10), where the trawl(s) (12, 40, 42) are connected to the vessel by means of a number of cables (16, 14; 44, 45, 46), and where one or more devices (22, 24) contribute to maintaining the trawl(s) opening(s) outstretched during the movement through the sea and the invention is characterized in that the individual traction (FW1, FW2, FW3) in the cables (44, 45, 46) is regulated on the basis of measurements of the direction of flow (P3) of water adjacent to the trawl or the trawls.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for harvesting and processing zooplankton and, in particular, for harvesting and processing euphausiids for subsequent use as a feed product for early stage juvenile or larvae feed or for a food product as an additive. The euphausiids are continuously harvested from coastal waters and dewatered. The dewatered product is passed to a heat exchanger to increase its temperature and, thence, to a digester where a desired level of enzymatic activity is obtained. The product is then held by a surge tank for subsequent transfer to a ball dryer where the product is dried at a relatively low temperature without destroying the stabilized enzymes created in the digester. The digesting step may be deleted in the event the end use of the product is for a food product.

Abstract: An aquatic sampling device is provided, said aquatic sampling device comprising generally a plurality of two parallel vertical members, a plurality of two parallel horizontal members, a plurality of two support cross members, and a flexible net. Said plurality of two parallel vertical members being pivotally and slidably attached to said plurality of two parallel horizontal members by means of a plurality of two pins on said plurality of two parallel horizontal members extending through a plurality of two slots in said plurality of two vertical members. Said plurality of two parallel vertical members pivoting from resting horizontally against said plurality of two parallel horizontal members to 90 degrees or perpendicular to said plurality of two parallel horizontal members. Said plurality of two parallel vertical members being further attached to said plurality of two parallel vertical members by a plurality of two flexible cords.

Abstract: In one aspect, the sweepline system of the invention include a sweepline chain divided into a series of uniform subunits of common length attached along its U-shaped length to the hanging chains of the bottom trawl wherein such sweepline system is provided with its own separate auxiliary floatation system. In another aspect, a series of transverse drag chains are attached relative to the sweepline chain or the like, at a series of equally spaced junctions and downwardly sweep from such junctions in a downwardly depending direction, such junctions being located below the trawl net but above the bottom of the ocean, sea or the like wherein each drag chain comprises a series of chain links of overall length L defining a series of hinges therealong at the intersection of the individual links.

Abstract: A trawling system for catching shrimp which includes a trawler, an outrigger carried by the trawler, an onboard suction pump, a trawl device that is adapted to be dragged along the bottom of a body of water behind the trawler, and a conduit connected from the onboard suction pump to a suction pocket of a net forming part of the trawl device for continuously delivering shrimp from the trawl device to the trawler. The trawl device includes two elongated trawl beams which are joined together at adjacent ends by a hinge connection to form an angle. Each trawl beam is composed of at least a pair of spaced-apart end strut plates, rods extending between the strut plates, a depressor hydrofoil beam for urging the entire trawl device toward the seabed as it is towed through the water, a net which has a suction pocket for collecting shrimp, skids for sliding on the seabed, and an open space adjacent the suction pocket of the net for allowing non-targeted species to escape.

Abstract: A compensating device equipped with a hydraulic cylinder/piston arrangement as a damping member, and a sheave operatively connected with the cylinder and piston arrangement, and a hydraulic accumulator connected to the cylinder, for use on board a trawler vessel operating in autotrawl mode for dampening shock forces or alternating stresses on trawl pulling wire elements between the trawler vessel winch system and a bottom trawl.

Abstract: This invention provides a device and method for measurement of the actual on-bottom time of a sampling otter trawl used for benthic sampling. The device uses passive measurement of the actual on-bottom time without cables and wires connected to the ship, and is small enough to be mounted on a standard otter trawl door without affecting its net-towing function. The apparatus consists of a sealed bottom contacting and counting sensor which totalizes and displays the accumulated on-bottom time. Power is supplied from a self-contained battery which may be automatically recharged by a solar cell. In operation, a flexible trigger arm is mounted so as to extend below the runner on the bottom edge of the trawl door. When bottom contact is first made, the trigger arm bends and mechanically causes a magnet to move sufficiently close to actuate a magnetic switch inside a transparent electronic data module. An electronic counter inside the module will count minutes and seconds as long as the magnetic switch is closed.

Abstract: A fishing net is suspended from a corkline. A monofilament line is formed into three loops which are clamped together. The first of these three loops forms a knot around the corkline and the other two loops weave through the fishing net to hold it in place. The first loop is wound around the corkline in one angular direction for about one turn. It then crosses the portion of the first loop that is below the corkline. It then again passes around the corkline but in an angular direction opposite said one direction. Afterward, a limited portion of the loop that was wrapped around the corkline is free. The other loops are then passed through this free limited portion and the knot it tightened.

Abstract: A fish net constructed of conventional open mesh flexible net material is provided with an aperture having an escape panel secured therein. The escape panel is comprised of extruded plastic net material which is substantially rigid to maintain the mesh configuration while permitting slight bending of the panel. Thus, undersized fish can escape through the mesh of the escape panel without being gilled.

Abstract: A buoyancy body including an assembly of smaller parts formed in such a manner that the smaller parts have no large thickness. The parts are individually produced as foam plastic parts in order to achieve a desired small cell structure. The assembled buoyancy body provides a solid form plastic ball from only two parts, without these parts, at any place, having a material thickness that is more than just a fraction of the ball diameter.

Abstract: A fishing net is held in place below a corkline by a series of holding devices. Each holding device has a crimped cylinder from which three loops extend. One of these loops may be tied around the corkline to position the crimped cylinder below the corkline. The other two loops cooperate with similar loops from other adjacent holding devices to position the fishing net below the holding devices.

Abstract: Separate anchor members (1, 1', 1", 1'", 40, 60, 70, 80, 80', 80") are secured at regularly spaced locations to a rope or line (L) to which a net (N) is to be coupled. The anchor members carry separate connectors (11, 11', 11", 11'", 50, 65, 65', 12'") which, in turn, are adapted to be connected to the net. The connectors can have closed loops (14, 15, 14', 15') to be threaded through a selvage portion of the net and interwoven with the loops of connectors of the adjacent anchor members.

Abstract: A beam trawl pickup device comprising a pickup block with three cable guides and a pickup block pulley. Cables are connected from a beam trawl through the guides in the pickup block. The central cable passes around the pickup block pulley and is attached to the pickup block. The pickup block pulley being of a size to pass through the block at the end of the outrigger on a fishing boat while the pickup block remains tight against the same block allowing a beam trawl to be raised by the center cable but be towed by all three cables.

Abstract: A crab catcher for use with baited crab line includes a mesh box cage or basket with an opened end facing in the direction of motion of the boat. It is mounted in a frame alongside a moving boat, just under the water. Crab line is run over two rollers, forming a V shape, positioned above the open end of the basket; the line continues over the basket to a rear guide and off the back end. As the boat moves, crabs feeding on the baited line will let go as they near the surface. They are then swept into the open end of the basket by the flow of water and held there by the current. To increase the chance of entrapment, mesh plates are arranged about the open basket end to form a partial funnel and give a larger efffective opening. The basket lifts out of the frame for emptying it of crabs. The frame, which is adjustable for different sizes of boats, has hooks to go over the gunwales of the boat.

Abstract: A portable swimming pool skimmer that may be dragged around the perimeter of a swimming pool by a person gripping its tether line. The swimming pool skimmer has a pair of laterally spaced end walls that are secured to the respective opposite ends of three tubular connecting members. The first two of these tubular members are air tight so that they have a tendency to float to the top of the water surface. The third tubular member has a plurality of apertures therein that allows it to fill with water and causes it to sink beneath the surface of the water. A net is connected between the two air tight tubular connecting members and it has a sufficient amount of slack so that it forms a concave shape when the skimmer is dragged around the pool for collecting the undesirable objects floating on the water surface.

Abstract: Separate anchor members (1, 1', 1", 1'", 40, 60, 70, 80, 80', 80") are secured at regularly spaced locations to a rope or line (L) to which a net (N) is to be coupled. The anchor members carry separate connectors (11, 11', 11", 11'", 50, 65, 65', 12'") which, in turn, are adapted to be connected to the net. The connectors can have closed loops (14, 15, 14', 15') to be threaded through a selvage portion of the net and interwoven with the loops of connectors of the adjacent anchor members.

Abstract: A trawl net with buoyant-force generating member whose angle of elevation in the vertical direction can be adjusted while the trawl net is being dragged or towed and by varying the angle of elevation, the trawl net can be raised or lowered to a desired depth with a high degree of response.

Abstract: A trawler door with relative dimensions such that the height of the door is at most seventy five percent of its length. Two longitudinally arcuate platelike body parts are joined along a longitudinal edge at an obtuse angle, the joint between the body parts being stiffened by a platelike reinforcing member extending along the length of the joint. At least one of the body parts is stiffened by at least one tubelike member of circular or elliptical cross-section which is affixed at one end to the reinforcing member and at the other end to a suitable location on one of the body parts.

Abstract: An animal trap having a pair of elongated rods joined to jaws that are bias to a closed position with a coil spring. The coil spring is concentrically located about a pivot pin that pivotally joins the mid-sections of the rods together. An over-centered toggle trip mechanism is pivotally connected to the rods to hold the jaws in their open position. The trip mechanism has a trigger operable by the animal to be trapped to move the over-center toggle trip mechanism to a position wherein it collapses whereby the spring biases the jaws to their closed positions.

Abstract: An animal trap having a pair of arcuate rod-like jaws that are biased to a closed position with a torsion coil spring. One jaw is integral with a first rod attached to a base. The other jaw is attached to a second rod pivotally mounted on the first rod with a sleeve. The coil torsion spring is concentrically located about the sleeve and rod and has a first end engageable with the base and a second end engageable with the second jaw so as to bias the jaws to their closed position. A trigger mechanism having a trip plate cooperating with a pivotal arm is used to releasably hold the jaws in their open position. A member connected to the jaws engages the arm so that the biasing force of the spring will hold the trip plate in its set position. When the trip plate is moved from its set position, the arm is released so that the spring will close the jaws. In one form of the invention, the trap has two pairs of jaws that are concurrently biased to their closed positions with pairs of coil torsion springs.