CA1149665A - Method and apparatus for attracting aquatic animals - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for attracting aquatic animalsInfo
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- CA1149665A CA1149665A CA000335321A CA335321A CA1149665A CA 1149665 A CA1149665 A CA 1149665A CA 000335321 A CA000335321 A CA 000335321A CA 335321 A CA335321 A CA 335321A CA 1149665 A CA1149665 A CA 1149665A
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
A quantity of ammonium ion-producing compound, such as ammonium salt, is confined inside a container having an aperture or aperatures covered by a water permeable membrane. The container is placed under water at a desired location, and water passes into the container through the membranes so that the compound is dissolved. Ammonium ions are emitted from the container by diffusion through the membrane. The total area of the container aperture or apertures and the characteristics of the membrane are selected to control the release rate of ammonium ions for attracting aquatic animals to the vicinity of the container. A screen encircling the membrane reinforces it. A protective shroud may be spaced outward from the screen. The container can be formed by fitting a water permeable membrane sleeve and a reinforcing screen over an oblong block of the ammonium ion-producing compound and then covering the opposite end portions of the block with liquid resin, such as polyurethane material, and allowing such resin to set such that only a circumferential slit of screen and membrane is exposed.
A quantity of ammonium ion-producing compound, such as ammonium salt, is confined inside a container having an aperture or aperatures covered by a water permeable membrane. The container is placed under water at a desired location, and water passes into the container through the membranes so that the compound is dissolved. Ammonium ions are emitted from the container by diffusion through the membrane. The total area of the container aperture or apertures and the characteristics of the membrane are selected to control the release rate of ammonium ions for attracting aquatic animals to the vicinity of the container. A screen encircling the membrane reinforces it. A protective shroud may be spaced outward from the screen. The container can be formed by fitting a water permeable membrane sleeve and a reinforcing screen over an oblong block of the ammonium ion-producing compound and then covering the opposite end portions of the block with liquid resin, such as polyurethane material, and allowing such resin to set such that only a circumferential slit of screen and membrane is exposed.
Description
METHO~ AND APPARATUS FOR ATTRACTING
AQUATIC ANIMALS
The present invention relates to aquatic animal-attracting apparatus and methods.
Fish-attracting devices are shown in the following U.S. patents:
Hardin No. 3,854,234, issued Demcember 17, 1974 Gfroerer No. 2,765,575, issued October 9, 1956 Moffett No. 2,729,912, issued January 10, 1956 ~uir et al. No. 2,434/220 issued January 6, 1948 The problem with such devices is that fish oil and customary foods such as pieces of fish are used as attractants and the fish-attracting capabilities of customary foods are quickly dissipated. Also, the oil and foods decompose if stored over an extended period of time.
Apparatus for the slow release of pesticides is shown in Callander U.S. patent No. 3,204,871, issued September 7, 1965, and in Turner et al. U.S.
patent No. 2,738,224l issued March 13, 1956.
However, the apparatus of each of these patents is u5ed for the release of vapor into the atmosphere.
Watkins U.S. patent No. 3,661,506, issued May 9, 1972, discloses the use of a protective membrane covering the hull of a ship to release marine growth retardants. However, the membrane is not water-permeable and only liquid retardants are used.
Marshall, Jr. U.S. patent No. 2,997,160, issued August 22, 1961, discloses a floating fertilizer package for allowing the slow release of ~' :~ 1 ;65 fertilizer into a pond but does not disclose or suggest an aquatic animal-attracting apparatus or method.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for attracting aquatic animals to a desired underwater location.
Another object is to provide such method which uses inexpensive, readily obtainable materials.
A further object is to provide apparatus for carrying out such method.
It is also an object to provide aquatic animal-attracting apparatus and a method which will attract aquatic animals for an extended period without requiring frequent maintenance or frequent addition of attractant.
Certain of the foregoing objects can be accomplished by a method of attracting aquatic animals to a desired underwater location, which comprises dissolving an oil-free chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ureas, purines, guanidine, low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof at such desired underwater location.
Others of the foregoing objects can be accomplished by apparatus for attracting aquatic animals comprising container means, an oil-free water-soluble chemical artificial bait in the container means, and means for emitting dissolved bait from the container means, the chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ~; .
i5 ureas, purines, guanidinel low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof.
Such objects also can be accomplished by a method of forming an apparatus for attracting aquatic animals, which comprises forming a quantity of oil-free chemical artificial bait in the form of a block, the chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ureas, purines, guanidine, low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof, applying a covering of liquid resin to the block and leaving an aperture therethrough, curing the resin of the covering to water-impermeable condition, and covering the aperture location with a water-permeable membrane.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
Figure 1 is an exploded top perspective of aquatic animal-attracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention, and Figure 2 is an elevation of the aquatic animal-attracting apparatus of Figure 1 in assembled condition;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal central section of the assembled aquatic animal-attracting apparatus of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a vertical section of a crab pot having the attracting apparatus of the present invention installed in it;
Figure 5 is an exploded top perspective of an alternative form of aquatic animal-attracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention without a covering; and Figure 6 is an elevation of the aquatic animal-attracting apparatus of Figure 5 in assembled condition with a covering applied, parts being broken away.
In accordance with the present invention, aquatic animals, such as fish, shrimp, crab or lobster, are attracted to a desired underwater location, such as a fish trap or shrimp, crab or lobster pot, by dissolving at such location ammonia or an ammonium compound or another derivative of ammonia. It is preferred that the compound be of a type which produces ammonium ions when dissolved, but compounds such as amines producing methylammonium, diethylammonium, dimethylammonium, triethylammonium and trimethylammonium cations, for example, also serve as aquatic animal attractants. Such amines are, respectively, methylamine, diethylamine, dimethylamine, triethylamine and trimethylamine.
The preferred animal-attracting compound is ammonium chloride (NH4CL) because it dissolves rapidly and because it is readily obtainable and inexpensive.
Further, at normal temperatures ammonium chloride i65 is crystalline and crystalline compound is more compact and easier to handle than a liquid or a gas. However, other acceptable compounds are: any other readily soluble ammonium salt; ammonia (liquid or gas); ammonium hydroxide; amines, including primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines, for example methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine and tetramethylammonium hydroxide, respectively;
ureas such as biuret and thiourea; derivatives of urea such as guanidine and purines including guanine and xanthine; and low molecular weight amino acids such as carbamic acid, glycine, alanine and serine.
Each of the above compounds is "chemical artificial bait" in that a quantity of any of these compounds is not normally available as customary food for aquatic animals and in that pure quantities of such compounds are produced by chemical, as opposed to biological, processes.
For attracting Dungeness crab with a dissolved ammonlum compound, it has been found that the release rate of dissolved bait should correspond to the release of 1 to 50 grams of ammonium ions per day. If the ammonium ion release rate is less than 1 gram per dayr only crabs in the immediate area of the release location are attracted. An ammonium ion release rate of more than 50 grams per day appears to confuse crabs rather than to attract them to the release location. It is believed that the optimum ammonium ion release rate for crab is 11 or 12 grams per day.
In the apparatus for releasing dissolved chemical artificial chemical bait shown in Figures ~; 5 s 1 through 4, the closed end of a cylindrical container 1 which has circumferential rows of apertures 2 carries an external connection hook 3. The other end of the container tightly receives the cylindrical projection of a cap 4. A screen 5 snugly encircles the container and supports a water-permeable membrane 6 in position covering the container apertures. An apertured cylindrical shroud 7 is spaced from the container membrane and screen by an annular flange 8 extending radially inward from the shroud to the container. Such shroud protects the membrane from being punctured. Sliding movement of the flange and shroud lengthwise of the container i5 limited by screen 5 in one direction and by a stop projection 9, such as a button or rib, in the other direction.
In operation a quantity of water-soluble chemical artificial bait is sealed within container 1 by cap 4. The container is positioned at a desired location under water, such as inside a crab pot. For example, the container connection hook 3 can be secured to the bottom of the pot and a three-way guy 10 of wire or elastomer material can secure the cap end of the container to the top of the pot as shown in Figure 4. The water-permeable membrane confines the bait against direct exposure to water in the area of the container. Water diffuses into the container through membrane 6 and apertures 2, and the bait is dissolved. The dissolved bait steadily diffuses out of the container at a substantially constant rate.
In prior art bait containers such as disclosed in Muir et al. U.S. patent No. 2,434,220, the rate at which the bait dissolves is less than the diffusion rate through the container apertures.
Therefore, the release rate in the prior art containers is not constant but follows the rate at which the bait dissolves, which rate is continually decreasing as the quantity of undissolved bait decreases. Also, the Muir et al. oil would tend to clog the pores of a semipermeable membrane, reducing the release rate of cations through it. Additionally, the natural oily bait decomposes over time thereby limiting the length of time it can be stored.
There are several factors which affect the dissolved bait release rate. The primary factors are the total area of the container apertures and the characteristics of the water-permeable membrane. A suitable membrane is a water-insoluble, water-permeable cellulose sheet impregnated with regenerated cellulose approximately .003 inch (.076 mm) to .004 inch (.102 mm) thick having a ; 20 molecular weight cutoff point of 12,000 to 14,000, and plasticized with glycerine, such as the membrane sold by Spectrum Medical Industries, Inc. under the trademark "SPECTRAPOR 5". If this type of membrane is used and the bait is ammonium chloride, the total container aperture area should~be 1/5 square inch (1.29 sq. cm) to 5 square inches (32.26 sq.
cm) to obtain the desired crab-attracting ammonium ion release rate range of 1 to 50 grams per day in sea water. About 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) of ammonium chloride sealed within a container having a total aperture area of approximately 1-1/2 sq. inches (g.68 sq. cm) will release ammonium ions at the ?~6S
preferred rate of 11 to 12 grams per day for about 30 days.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, about 2-1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) of crystalline ammonium chloride is pressed into an oblong block 10 about 5 inches (12.7 cm) by 2-1/2 inches (6.4 cm) by 2 inches (5.1 cm). A membrane sleeve 6', which may be a SPECTRAPOR
5 membrane, is slid over the block and snugly encircles the block central portion. A plastic screen sheet 5', preferably of a length at least as great as the major portion of the length of block 10, is wrapped around the block and membrane with its overlapping margins heat-bonded for forming a screen lap joint 11 extending lengthwise of the block. Such screen may be polyester-coated loosely woven glass fiber.
As seen in Figure 6, a polyurethane coating 12 is applied to the opposite ends of the block, such as by brushing, dipping or spraying, and is allowed to set bonded to the screen and to the underlying cellulose membrane to form a "container" having only a single circumferential "aperture" or slit 13 of screen and membrane exposed between the container and coverings. Forming the bait block 10 with rounded edges as shown in Figure 5 helps assure that the coverings will be of uniform thickness even at the edges of the block.
For attracting crab, the total area of exposed membrane should fall within the range of total aperture areas given for the embodiment of Figures 1 through 4, preferably about 1-1/2 square r~
inches (9.68 sq. cm). Such substantially covered block can be placed in the conventional bait box of a crab trap, for example, or otherwise retained at the location to which it is desired to attract aquatic animals.
The operation of the apparatus of Figures 5 and 6 is substantially identical to the operation of the apparatus of Figures 1 through 4. As ammonium chloride is dissolved and ammonium ions are emitted at a desired substantially constant rate, the "container" will not collapse or break apart because the opposite container ends formed by the polyure-thane coverings 12 are joined by the reinforcing screen 5' which also at least somewhat protects the - membrane.
An operable combination of attracting apparatus features for attracting a particular aquatic species can be chosen by selecting a readily water-soluble chemical artificial bait and a water-permeable membrane, and then determining experimentallythe total aperture area of the container which achieves the optimum attracting release rate. The release rate could be decreased by providing a closely enc~rcling protective shroud having a small total aperture area. ~lowever, in the embodiment of Figures 1 through 4, shroud 7 is spaced from the container and has many apertures so that it does not appreciably affect the flow of dissolved bait from the container.
Preferably, the r,lesh of screen 5 or 5' is large enough that the screen does not appreciably affect the release of dissolved bait.
, 9 $~ s Any combination of membrane, container aperture area, and shroud spacing and aperture area which achieves the desired release rate could be used.
The SPECTRAPOR 5 membrane is preferred because it is semipermeable and has high wet strength and resistance to disintegration. Any other cation-permeable membrane with adequate wet strength and resistance to abrasive disintegration and with comparable ion diffusion characteristics would be suitable.
In the embodiment of Figures 1 through 4, the container cap, screen, shroud, shroud flange and stop may all be plastic material such as poly-vinyl chloride. ~owever, in the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6, it is important that a strong watertight bond be formed between the container coverings, screen and membrane. It has been found that the filled coating "PR-1654" manufactured by Products Research and Chemical Corporation forms a strong watertight bond with the SPECTRAPOR 5 membrane and a Fiberglas screen, such as the Fiberglas screen material commonly used for window screens, and also has the advantage of setting or curing quickly.
The attachment and growth of marine organisms to the attracting apparatus, and especially to the membrane, can be prevented by marine growth retardant. For example, approximately 1 gram of cuprous oxide or cupric oxide may be mixed with each 30 day supply of bait.
~.t~ 65 If a container having a sufficient quantity of bait is used, aquatic animals are attracted continuously throughout an extended period without servicing the attracting apparatus. A variety of aquatic animals are attracted, including shrimp, crab and lobster in sea water, crayfish in fresh water and various food fish in either sea water or fresh water. Consequently, the method and/or apparatus of the present invention can be used to attract fish to a fish trap or shrimp, crab or lobster to a pot. In addition, such apparatus and/or method could be used to attract aquatic animals to a general area where conventional baits or lures are present to increase greatly the aquatic animal-catching effectiveness of commercial or sport fisheries. Further, conventional lures can be modified to hold chemical artificial bait and to release such bait at an appropriate rate to increase the attracting effectiveness of the lures.
,, --''' 11
AQUATIC ANIMALS
The present invention relates to aquatic animal-attracting apparatus and methods.
Fish-attracting devices are shown in the following U.S. patents:
Hardin No. 3,854,234, issued Demcember 17, 1974 Gfroerer No. 2,765,575, issued October 9, 1956 Moffett No. 2,729,912, issued January 10, 1956 ~uir et al. No. 2,434/220 issued January 6, 1948 The problem with such devices is that fish oil and customary foods such as pieces of fish are used as attractants and the fish-attracting capabilities of customary foods are quickly dissipated. Also, the oil and foods decompose if stored over an extended period of time.
Apparatus for the slow release of pesticides is shown in Callander U.S. patent No. 3,204,871, issued September 7, 1965, and in Turner et al. U.S.
patent No. 2,738,224l issued March 13, 1956.
However, the apparatus of each of these patents is u5ed for the release of vapor into the atmosphere.
Watkins U.S. patent No. 3,661,506, issued May 9, 1972, discloses the use of a protective membrane covering the hull of a ship to release marine growth retardants. However, the membrane is not water-permeable and only liquid retardants are used.
Marshall, Jr. U.S. patent No. 2,997,160, issued August 22, 1961, discloses a floating fertilizer package for allowing the slow release of ~' :~ 1 ;65 fertilizer into a pond but does not disclose or suggest an aquatic animal-attracting apparatus or method.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for attracting aquatic animals to a desired underwater location.
Another object is to provide such method which uses inexpensive, readily obtainable materials.
A further object is to provide apparatus for carrying out such method.
It is also an object to provide aquatic animal-attracting apparatus and a method which will attract aquatic animals for an extended period without requiring frequent maintenance or frequent addition of attractant.
Certain of the foregoing objects can be accomplished by a method of attracting aquatic animals to a desired underwater location, which comprises dissolving an oil-free chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ureas, purines, guanidine, low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof at such desired underwater location.
Others of the foregoing objects can be accomplished by apparatus for attracting aquatic animals comprising container means, an oil-free water-soluble chemical artificial bait in the container means, and means for emitting dissolved bait from the container means, the chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ~; .
i5 ureas, purines, guanidinel low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof.
Such objects also can be accomplished by a method of forming an apparatus for attracting aquatic animals, which comprises forming a quantity of oil-free chemical artificial bait in the form of a block, the chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ureas, purines, guanidine, low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof, applying a covering of liquid resin to the block and leaving an aperture therethrough, curing the resin of the covering to water-impermeable condition, and covering the aperture location with a water-permeable membrane.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
Figure 1 is an exploded top perspective of aquatic animal-attracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention, and Figure 2 is an elevation of the aquatic animal-attracting apparatus of Figure 1 in assembled condition;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal central section of the assembled aquatic animal-attracting apparatus of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a vertical section of a crab pot having the attracting apparatus of the present invention installed in it;
Figure 5 is an exploded top perspective of an alternative form of aquatic animal-attracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention without a covering; and Figure 6 is an elevation of the aquatic animal-attracting apparatus of Figure 5 in assembled condition with a covering applied, parts being broken away.
In accordance with the present invention, aquatic animals, such as fish, shrimp, crab or lobster, are attracted to a desired underwater location, such as a fish trap or shrimp, crab or lobster pot, by dissolving at such location ammonia or an ammonium compound or another derivative of ammonia. It is preferred that the compound be of a type which produces ammonium ions when dissolved, but compounds such as amines producing methylammonium, diethylammonium, dimethylammonium, triethylammonium and trimethylammonium cations, for example, also serve as aquatic animal attractants. Such amines are, respectively, methylamine, diethylamine, dimethylamine, triethylamine and trimethylamine.
The preferred animal-attracting compound is ammonium chloride (NH4CL) because it dissolves rapidly and because it is readily obtainable and inexpensive.
Further, at normal temperatures ammonium chloride i65 is crystalline and crystalline compound is more compact and easier to handle than a liquid or a gas. However, other acceptable compounds are: any other readily soluble ammonium salt; ammonia (liquid or gas); ammonium hydroxide; amines, including primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines, for example methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine and tetramethylammonium hydroxide, respectively;
ureas such as biuret and thiourea; derivatives of urea such as guanidine and purines including guanine and xanthine; and low molecular weight amino acids such as carbamic acid, glycine, alanine and serine.
Each of the above compounds is "chemical artificial bait" in that a quantity of any of these compounds is not normally available as customary food for aquatic animals and in that pure quantities of such compounds are produced by chemical, as opposed to biological, processes.
For attracting Dungeness crab with a dissolved ammonlum compound, it has been found that the release rate of dissolved bait should correspond to the release of 1 to 50 grams of ammonium ions per day. If the ammonium ion release rate is less than 1 gram per dayr only crabs in the immediate area of the release location are attracted. An ammonium ion release rate of more than 50 grams per day appears to confuse crabs rather than to attract them to the release location. It is believed that the optimum ammonium ion release rate for crab is 11 or 12 grams per day.
In the apparatus for releasing dissolved chemical artificial chemical bait shown in Figures ~; 5 s 1 through 4, the closed end of a cylindrical container 1 which has circumferential rows of apertures 2 carries an external connection hook 3. The other end of the container tightly receives the cylindrical projection of a cap 4. A screen 5 snugly encircles the container and supports a water-permeable membrane 6 in position covering the container apertures. An apertured cylindrical shroud 7 is spaced from the container membrane and screen by an annular flange 8 extending radially inward from the shroud to the container. Such shroud protects the membrane from being punctured. Sliding movement of the flange and shroud lengthwise of the container i5 limited by screen 5 in one direction and by a stop projection 9, such as a button or rib, in the other direction.
In operation a quantity of water-soluble chemical artificial bait is sealed within container 1 by cap 4. The container is positioned at a desired location under water, such as inside a crab pot. For example, the container connection hook 3 can be secured to the bottom of the pot and a three-way guy 10 of wire or elastomer material can secure the cap end of the container to the top of the pot as shown in Figure 4. The water-permeable membrane confines the bait against direct exposure to water in the area of the container. Water diffuses into the container through membrane 6 and apertures 2, and the bait is dissolved. The dissolved bait steadily diffuses out of the container at a substantially constant rate.
In prior art bait containers such as disclosed in Muir et al. U.S. patent No. 2,434,220, the rate at which the bait dissolves is less than the diffusion rate through the container apertures.
Therefore, the release rate in the prior art containers is not constant but follows the rate at which the bait dissolves, which rate is continually decreasing as the quantity of undissolved bait decreases. Also, the Muir et al. oil would tend to clog the pores of a semipermeable membrane, reducing the release rate of cations through it. Additionally, the natural oily bait decomposes over time thereby limiting the length of time it can be stored.
There are several factors which affect the dissolved bait release rate. The primary factors are the total area of the container apertures and the characteristics of the water-permeable membrane. A suitable membrane is a water-insoluble, water-permeable cellulose sheet impregnated with regenerated cellulose approximately .003 inch (.076 mm) to .004 inch (.102 mm) thick having a ; 20 molecular weight cutoff point of 12,000 to 14,000, and plasticized with glycerine, such as the membrane sold by Spectrum Medical Industries, Inc. under the trademark "SPECTRAPOR 5". If this type of membrane is used and the bait is ammonium chloride, the total container aperture area should~be 1/5 square inch (1.29 sq. cm) to 5 square inches (32.26 sq.
cm) to obtain the desired crab-attracting ammonium ion release rate range of 1 to 50 grams per day in sea water. About 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) of ammonium chloride sealed within a container having a total aperture area of approximately 1-1/2 sq. inches (g.68 sq. cm) will release ammonium ions at the ?~6S
preferred rate of 11 to 12 grams per day for about 30 days.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, about 2-1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) of crystalline ammonium chloride is pressed into an oblong block 10 about 5 inches (12.7 cm) by 2-1/2 inches (6.4 cm) by 2 inches (5.1 cm). A membrane sleeve 6', which may be a SPECTRAPOR
5 membrane, is slid over the block and snugly encircles the block central portion. A plastic screen sheet 5', preferably of a length at least as great as the major portion of the length of block 10, is wrapped around the block and membrane with its overlapping margins heat-bonded for forming a screen lap joint 11 extending lengthwise of the block. Such screen may be polyester-coated loosely woven glass fiber.
As seen in Figure 6, a polyurethane coating 12 is applied to the opposite ends of the block, such as by brushing, dipping or spraying, and is allowed to set bonded to the screen and to the underlying cellulose membrane to form a "container" having only a single circumferential "aperture" or slit 13 of screen and membrane exposed between the container and coverings. Forming the bait block 10 with rounded edges as shown in Figure 5 helps assure that the coverings will be of uniform thickness even at the edges of the block.
For attracting crab, the total area of exposed membrane should fall within the range of total aperture areas given for the embodiment of Figures 1 through 4, preferably about 1-1/2 square r~
inches (9.68 sq. cm). Such substantially covered block can be placed in the conventional bait box of a crab trap, for example, or otherwise retained at the location to which it is desired to attract aquatic animals.
The operation of the apparatus of Figures 5 and 6 is substantially identical to the operation of the apparatus of Figures 1 through 4. As ammonium chloride is dissolved and ammonium ions are emitted at a desired substantially constant rate, the "container" will not collapse or break apart because the opposite container ends formed by the polyure-thane coverings 12 are joined by the reinforcing screen 5' which also at least somewhat protects the - membrane.
An operable combination of attracting apparatus features for attracting a particular aquatic species can be chosen by selecting a readily water-soluble chemical artificial bait and a water-permeable membrane, and then determining experimentallythe total aperture area of the container which achieves the optimum attracting release rate. The release rate could be decreased by providing a closely enc~rcling protective shroud having a small total aperture area. ~lowever, in the embodiment of Figures 1 through 4, shroud 7 is spaced from the container and has many apertures so that it does not appreciably affect the flow of dissolved bait from the container.
Preferably, the r,lesh of screen 5 or 5' is large enough that the screen does not appreciably affect the release of dissolved bait.
, 9 $~ s Any combination of membrane, container aperture area, and shroud spacing and aperture area which achieves the desired release rate could be used.
The SPECTRAPOR 5 membrane is preferred because it is semipermeable and has high wet strength and resistance to disintegration. Any other cation-permeable membrane with adequate wet strength and resistance to abrasive disintegration and with comparable ion diffusion characteristics would be suitable.
In the embodiment of Figures 1 through 4, the container cap, screen, shroud, shroud flange and stop may all be plastic material such as poly-vinyl chloride. ~owever, in the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6, it is important that a strong watertight bond be formed between the container coverings, screen and membrane. It has been found that the filled coating "PR-1654" manufactured by Products Research and Chemical Corporation forms a strong watertight bond with the SPECTRAPOR 5 membrane and a Fiberglas screen, such as the Fiberglas screen material commonly used for window screens, and also has the advantage of setting or curing quickly.
The attachment and growth of marine organisms to the attracting apparatus, and especially to the membrane, can be prevented by marine growth retardant. For example, approximately 1 gram of cuprous oxide or cupric oxide may be mixed with each 30 day supply of bait.
~.t~ 65 If a container having a sufficient quantity of bait is used, aquatic animals are attracted continuously throughout an extended period without servicing the attracting apparatus. A variety of aquatic animals are attracted, including shrimp, crab and lobster in sea water, crayfish in fresh water and various food fish in either sea water or fresh water. Consequently, the method and/or apparatus of the present invention can be used to attract fish to a fish trap or shrimp, crab or lobster to a pot. In addition, such apparatus and/or method could be used to attract aquatic animals to a general area where conventional baits or lures are present to increase greatly the aquatic animal-catching effectiveness of commercial or sport fisheries. Further, conventional lures can be modified to hold chemical artificial bait and to release such bait at an appropriate rate to increase the attracting effectiveness of the lures.
,, --''' 11
Claims (29)
1. A method of attracting aquatic animals to a desired underwater location, which comprises dissolving an oil-free chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ureas, purines, guanidine, low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof at such desired underwater location.
2. The method defined in claim 1, including the step of releasing dissolved bait at a substantially constant rate.
3. The method defined in claim 1, including dissolving the oil-free chemical artificial bait and diffusing the dissolved bait through a semipermeable membrane, the rate at which the bait dissolves being greater than the rate at which it diffuses through the membrane so that water dissolving the bait reaches the saturation concentration for the dissolved chemical and the oil-free character of the bait deters clogging of the membrane pores by the bait so that the dissolved bait is released at such desired underwater location at a substantially constant release rate.
4. The method defined in claim 1 or 3, including providing sufficient bait and releasing the dissolved bait at a rate sufficiently low that the bait will be releasable for a period of at least one week and sufficiently high to be effective in attracting aquatic animals without the aquatic animals being unable to determine the direction of the bait from them.
5. The method defined in claim 1 or 3, including the step of releasing dissolved bait at a rate corresponding to the release of between 1 and 50 grams of ammonium ions per day.
6. The method defined in claim 1 or 3, in which the dissolved bait is releasable for at least about 30 days.
7. The method defined in claim 1 or 3, in which the chemical dissolves to produce ions selected from the group consisting of ammonium ions, primary ammonium ions, secondary ammonium ions, tertiary ammonium ions, quaternary ammonium ions and mixtures thereof.
8. The method defined in claim 1 or 3, in which the chemical artificial bait includes ammonium chloride.
9. The method defined in claim 1 or 3, including dissolving an amine selected from the group consisting of methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, diethylamine, and triethylamine.
10. The method defined in claim 1 or 3, including dissolving a low molecular weight amino acid selected from the group consisting of carbamic acid, glycine, alanine and serine.
11. A method of forming an apparatus for attracting aquatic animals, which comprises forming a quantity of oil-free chemical artificial bait in the form of a block, the chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ureas, purines, guanidine, low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof, applying a covering of liquid resin to the block and leaving an aperture therethrough, curing the resin of the covering to water-impermeable condition, and covering the aperture location with a water-permeable membrane.
12. The method defined in claim 11, includ-ing covering the aperture location with the water-permeable membrane prior to applying the liquid resin covering.
13. The method defined in claim 11 or 12, in which the water-permeable membrane is a semipermeable membrane.
14. The method defined in claim 11 or 12, in which the water-permeable membrane is a cation-permeable membrane.
15. The method defined in claim 11, includ-ing applying the covering of liquid resin to the opposite ends of the block and leaving an aperture in the form of a circumferential slit between the covered block ends.
16. The method defined in claim 15, including covering the slit location with the water-permeable membrane prior to applying the liquid resin covering.
17. The method defined in claim 12 or 16, including the step of wrapping the block with a screen covering the water-permeable membrane prior to applying the liquid resin covering.
18. The method defined in claim 15 or 16, in which the water-permeable membrane is a semipermeable membrane.
19. Apparatus for attracting aquatic animals comprising container means, an oil-free water-soluble chemical artificial bait in said container means, and means for emitting dissolved bait from said container means, said chemical artificial bait including a chemical selected from the group consisting of ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium salts, amines, ureas, purines, guanidine, low molecular weight amino acids and mixtures thereof.
20. The apparatus defined in claim 19, the means for emitting dissolved bait having an aperture and including a water-permeable membrane covering the aperture.
21. The apparatus defined in claim 20, the means for emitting dissolved bait including a screen covering the water-permeable membrane.
22. The apparatus defined in claim 19, including means for emitting dissolved bait from the container means at a controlled substantially constant rate.
23. The apparatus defined in claim 13, in which the emitting means has an aperture and includes a semipermeable membrane covering the aperture for emitting dissolved bait from the container means at a controlled substantially constant rate.
24. The apparatus defined in claim 23, in which the total area of the aperture is between .2 square inch (1.29 sq. cm) and 5 square inches (32.26 sq. cm).
25. The apparatus defined in claim 19, in which the emitting means has an aperture and includes a cation-permeable membrane covering the aperture for emitting dissolved bait from the container means at a controlled substantially constant rate.
26. The apparatus defined in claim 19, the means for emitting dissolved bait having an aperture and a water-permeable membrane covering the aperture, the container means including opposite container end portions and the aperture forming a circumferential slit between said container end portions.
27. The apparatus defined in claim 26, including a screen bridging between the container end portions and covering the water-permeable membrane.
28. The apparatus defined in claim 19, and a protective shroud spaced from and encircling the emitting means.
29. The apparatus defined in claim 28, the protective shroud being apertured.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US94104078A | 1978-09-11 | 1978-09-11 | |
| US941,040 | 1978-09-11 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1149665A true CA1149665A (en) | 1983-07-12 |
Family
ID=25475838
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000335321A Expired CA1149665A (en) | 1978-09-11 | 1979-09-10 | Method and apparatus for attracting aquatic animals |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU5059579A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1149665A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1990012500A1 (en) * | 1989-04-27 | 1990-11-01 | Peter Morton | Fish bait |
| WO2010014228A1 (en) * | 2008-07-30 | 2010-02-04 | Patrick Mills | Fish feeding stimulant |
-
1979
- 1979-09-05 AU AU50595/79A patent/AU5059579A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1979-09-10 CA CA000335321A patent/CA1149665A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1990012500A1 (en) * | 1989-04-27 | 1990-11-01 | Peter Morton | Fish bait |
| AU624950B2 (en) * | 1989-04-27 | 1992-06-25 | Peter Morton | Fish bait |
| US5216829A (en) * | 1989-04-27 | 1993-06-08 | Peter Morton | Fish bait |
| WO2010014228A1 (en) * | 2008-07-30 | 2010-02-04 | Patrick Mills | Fish feeding stimulant |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU5059579A (en) | 1980-03-20 |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |