Patent Application
20090139117
The present invention relates to the field of collecting shellfish and more specifically to a method for configuring a shellfish dredge.
Fishing for shellfish, like scallops, has traditionally been done by using a shellfish dredge. Shellfish dredge technology has remained relatively unchanged for many decades. A shellfish dredge traditionally consists of a metal towing mechanism connected to a bag. The towing mechanism runs along the ocean floor and the shellfish, which rest on the ocean floor, are captured in the bag. The bag is similar in shape to a purse and has a deep-scooped front side that runs along the ocean floor, a back side that creates the pocket space for the shellfish to lie and a side panel connecting the front side to the back side. The bag has a scooped metal chain on the top perimeter of the front side, which is supposed to apply additional pressure to the ocean floor, keeping the bag in constant and full contact with the ocean floor. However, in practice, only the endpoints of the scooped chain, where the bag is attached to the towing mechanism, come in full contact with the ocean floor. These portions often become worn out quickly and the entire chain needs to be replaced. The remaining portion of the chain does not get worn out and remains in better condition, but still needs to be replaced due to the worn out endpoints.
The worn out endpoint sections of the scooped chain also correspond to the sections of the bag that are actually catching a large majority of the shellfish. The region where the bag and chain connect to the towing mechanism creates a triangular shape and comes to a peak at the points of attachment. During use, shellfish are predominantly collected in these peak regions of the bag, with the remaining bag being primarily empty. The entire center region is not in constant and full contact with the ocean floor because it does not have the additional pressure created by the peaks and the towing mechanism and thus is not capturing all the shellfish. The current method of configuring a shellfish dredge is only capturing in the bag a small percentage of the shellfish capable of being caught.
The opening of the bag, the capture area, represents the area where the shellfish enter and is traditionally shaped like a semi-circle. The top edges of the circle, the end peaks, are connected to the towing mechanism.
In recent years, the environmental impact of shellfish dredging has come under more scrutiny. Environmental regulations address the need to keep protected sea-animals from inadvertently getting caught in the shellfish dredge bag. These regulations often require additional chains and netting to be placed on the bag. Additionally, due to the desire to preserve the ocean bottom, there is an environmental advantage in decreasing the bottom time, the amount of time that a dredge spends on the ocean floor. At the same time, there is an economic and consumer need to preserve or increase the shellfish yields.
Embodiments of the invention are concerned with a method for improving shellfish yields, decreasing the time needed on the ocean bottom and maximizing the use of the metal chains, while still conforming to environmental needs and regulations. A traditional bag is reconfigured to create an additional section for collecting shellfish. This can be done while still complying with environmental regulations. By reconfiguring the bag to have an additional section, additional regions of force and pressure are created for catching the shellfish. This increase in force is done without significantly reducing the shellfish capture area of the bag as a whole, and therefore leads to an increase in shellfish that are caught.
The bag can also be configured to have multiple additional sections. The additional sections create more regions for shellfish to enter. By using more of the bag to catch shellfish, more of the scooped metal chain will be used to catch shellfish. The bag can further be configured to create a wider capture area. The overall configuration of the bag can be optimized to deal with the availability of shellfish and environmental regulations in place with regards to bottom time and the amount of shellfish that are allowed to be collected.
It is an object of the invention to increase the shellfish caught in the bag of a shellfish dredge. It is a further object of the invention to maximize use of the bag area. It is a further object of the invention to more optimally use the scooped metal chain on the front side of the bag. It is a further object of the invention to be able to reduce bottom time without reducing corresponding shellfish yields.
In order to improve performance of the chain bag, reduce ocean bottom time and improve use of the scooped chain, the inventor has come up with a method of modifying and configuring a shellfish dredge bag.
The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description that follows and from the accompanying drawings, which however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown, but are for explanation and understanding only.
A method for configuring a shellfish dredge is described. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, persons having ordinary skill in the relevant arts will appreciate that these specific details may not be needed to practice the present invention.
As disclosed in
A water pressure plate 13 is attached to the back side of the floor bar 15. The water pressure plate 13 is sloped and angled in shape and is used to direct the ocean water in such a manner as to keep the shellfish dredge 30 on the ocean floor.
There are a pair of floor side-plates 14, attached at the endpoints of the floor bar 15. The floor side-plates 14 and floor bar 15 are in contact with the ocean floor and are used to attach the bag 20 to the towing mechanism 10.
Shellfish are caught and stored in the bag 20. The bag 20 is comprised of a front side 21, a back side 22 and a side panel 27. The back side 22 is attached to the back side of the floor bar 15. The back side 22 and side panel 27 can be made up of a netting material, capable of keeping shellfish from leaving the bag. Neither the back side 22 nor the side panel 27 are meant to come in contact with the ocean floor. The purpose of the back side 22 and side panel 27 are to create the space needed to store caught shellfish.
The front side 21 comes in contact with the ocean floor. It is made up of a connection of metal rings and links 23. The metal rings are circular in shape. It is appreciated that the size of the rings effects the size of the shellfish that the bag is capable of holding. It is also appreciated that environmental regulations may specify the size of the rings. The rings are linked together in such a manner as to create the shape of the front side 21. The metal rings and links 23 are joined together such that a pair of end peaks 28 are created, which can be attached to the floor side-plates 14. The metal rings and links 23 are joined together such that an open area is created between the end peaks 28, that is capable of capturing the shellfish. The upper portion of the front side 21 has a detachable scoop chain 24 attached along the top perimeter. The endpoints of the front side 21 and scoop chain 24 are securely attached to the floor side-plates 14.
As represented in
In an embodiment of the invention, the metal rings and links 23 of the front side 21 are configured such that a central peak 31 is created. This is done by adding additional metal rings and links to the center of the front side 21 in the shape of a triangle. The scoop chain 24 must be attached to conform to the top perimeter of the front side 21. The scoop chain 24 may be adjusted so that it's length can cover the perimeter between the peaks 28. The tip of the central peak 31 is then attached to the vertical chain 25 that is directly above it. The height of the vertical chain 25 must be adjusted so that it remains taut when connected to the central peak 31.
By creating the central peak 31 and attaching it to the vertical chain 25, additional downward force is created at the central peak 31, allowing more of the scooped chain 24 to run along the ocean floor and allowing the bag 20 to stay in more constant contact with the ocean floor so that more shellfish can be captured. This additional capture region is created without significantly reducing the overall capture area of the bag 20. It is appreciated that the height of the central peak 31 should not be too high or come too close to the floor bar 15, as that will greatly minimize the capture area of the bag 20. In addition, if the height of the peak is too close to the floor bar, the ability to securely connect the object chains 26 to the towing mechanism 10 will not be possible.
In another embodiment of the invention, one or more additional central peaks 31 may be created on the front side 21. A vertical chain 25 must be positioned vertically in line with each additional central peak 31. It is appreciated that having an excessive number of central peaks 31 may reduce the capture area significantly. The one or more additional central peaks 31 do not have to be equal in height to one another.
The front side 21 may also be configured such that the end peaks 28 have a steeper incline and thus create a wider capture area for the shellfish. It is appreciated that the front side 21 should not be configured to go too low to the bottom of the bag 20 or the front side 21 will not be able to contain all of the shellfish.
The above description is included to illustrate embodiments of the present invention and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
