WO1998006256A1 - Method and apparatus for electrically attracting aquatic animals - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for electrically attracting aquatic animals Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1998006256A1 WO1998006256A1 PCT/US1997/013583 US9713583W WO9806256A1 WO 1998006256 A1 WO1998006256 A1 WO 1998006256A1 US 9713583 W US9713583 W US 9713583W WO 9806256 A1 WO9806256 A1 WO 9806256A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- electric field
- trap
- entrance
- electrode
- battery
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K69/00—Stationary catching devices
- A01K69/06—Traps
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K79/00—Methods or means of catching fish in bulk not provided for in groups A01K69/00 - A01K77/00, e.g. fish pumps; Detection of fish; Whale fishery
- A01K79/02—Methods or means of catching fish in bulk not provided for in groups A01K69/00 - A01K77/00, e.g. fish pumps; Detection of fish; Whale fishery by electrocution
Definitions
- the present invention relates to devices for attracting aquatic invertebrates and, more specifically, to devices for attracting aquatic invertebrates with an electric field.
- Invertebrate marine fisheries for lobsters and crabs depend on baited traps that are scattered on the sea bottom and catch the animals that are attracted into the traps by the scent of the bait. Freshwater crayfish are similarly caught in baited traps placed in ponds where the animals are raised or in natural waters.
- the disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention which is a method of attracting an aquatic animal to a trap having an entrance and an apparatus therefor.
- Two spaced apart electrodes are placed adjacent the trap in a region of water in which the aquatic animal inhabits and an electric field is generated between the electrodes.
- the strength of the electric field is within a range corresponding to a naturally occurring electric field that would be generated by a living organism of the type that would be likely prey for the aquatic animal being attracted, so as to attract the aquatic animal into the entrance of the trap.
- the invention also comprises an apparatus for attracting an aquatic animal to a trap having an entrance that includes two spaced apart electrodes disposed adjacent the trap and a circuit for generating an electric field between the electrodes.
- the apparatus in another embodiment, includes an insulating member defining a cavity therein, a first electrode disposed within the cavity and a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode.
- a circuit generates an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode. The strength of the electric field is within a range corresponding to a naturally occurring electric field that would be produced by a living organism of the type that would be likely prey for the aquatic animal being attracted.
- Three other embodiments of the present invention are all based upon an electric field generated by a battery enclosed in a plastic case and placed in a trap/cage made from a plastic screen.
- the designs differ in the location of the distal ends of the electrodes and, thus, the location of the maximum field.
- One embodiment has the electrodes projecting just outside the plastic case, but inside the trap; the next embodiment has them extending to the inside mouth of the opening of the trap/cage; and the other embodiment has the electrodes extending to the outside of the trap.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS 2, 3 and 4 are schematic representations of the second, third and fourth embodiments of the present invention which show the electric field in different positions relative to the trap entrance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
- one embodiment of the invention is a trap 10 for aquatic animals (shown) that includes an outer insulating member 20 that defines a cavity 23 therein.
- the insulating member has a non-conducting base portion 24 and a nonconducting cage 22 supported by the base portion 24 which is constructed of suitable wood or plastic material.
- a first electrode 36 is disposed within the cavity and a second electrode 38 is spaced apart from the first electrode 36. (The second electrode 38 could be disposed either within or outside the trap 10, depending upon the application.)
- a circuit schematically represented by the numeral 30 generates an electric field 14 between the first electrode 36 and the second electrode 38.
- the first electrode 36 is disposed so as to generate an electric field 14 having field lines converging adjacent the entrance 26 of the trap 10.
- adjacent may mean within or outside the trap 10 or the entrance 26.
- the strength of the electric field 14 is within a range corresponding to a naturally occurring electric field that would be produced by a living organism of the type that would be likely prey for the aquatic animal being attracted.
- the trap 10 includes element 44 for supporting bait 12 adjacent the entrance 26 of the trap 10.
- the bait 12 is of a type that is attractive to the aquatic animal.
- the structure 44 could be any commonly used in baiting traps for aquatic animals.
- the first electrode 36 includes a conducting ring 40 disposed adjacent the bait supporting structure 44 so that electric field 14 lines converge adjacent the bait 12.
- the negative pole of the electric field 14 converges nearest the bait 12.
- the electric field 14 lines converge adjacent the entrance 26 to the trap.
- a conducting lead 42 electrically interconnects a battery 32 and the conducting ring 40 so that the conducting ring 40 is in electrical communication with the battery 32.
- any electrical power supply could be employed to generate the electric field 14.
- the electric field 14 should have a strength in the range of from 50 microvolts per centimeter to 9000 microvolts per centimeter and preferably be about 100 microvolts per centimeter.
- the frequency of the current should range from D.C. to about 10Hz.
- Figs.2-4 depict three more embodiments of the present invention in which a two-volt to nine-volt battery is placed in a conventional trap for aquatic invertebrates.
- the field generated by the battery attracts invertebrates in accordance with the invention, with the embodiments differing only in the location of the electrodes and, thus, the location of the maximum field relative to the entrance of the trap.
- Figs. 2-4 illustrate a simple construction with a plastic-coated screen trap 100 having an entrance 126 defining a cavity 123 in which is disposed a bait 112 within a bait box or element 144.
- a battery 132 in the cavity 123 adjacent the bait 112 is positioned within a non-conducting plastic case 160.
- An uninsulated wire electrode 136 extends from the positive pole of the battery 132, through the case 160 into the cavity 123.
- a wire electrode 138 similarly extends from the negative pole of the battery 132.
- the energized battery 132 generates an electric field 114 between electrodes 136, 138 within the cavity 123.
- the trap 200 has electrodes 236, 238 that extend into the cavity 223 and terminate adjacent to the entrance 226.
- the electrodes 236, 238 are formed of insulated wires, except for their bare metal tips at the distal ends thereof, and are attached to the respective positive and negative poles of the battery 232 to generate electric field 214.
- Fig. 4 shows a structure similar to the embodiments of Figs. 2 and 3, except that the electrodes 336, 338 extend through the entrance 326 so as to generate the electric field 314 exteriorly of the trap 300.
- a standard baited crayfish trap will be used and will consist of an insulated wire-mesh cone-shaped cage mounted on a wooden base. An interior cylindrical cage is placed inside the exterior cage which contains a platform to hold bait, and below that, a dry cell battery.
- One pole of the battery is connected to a wooden screw in the center of the wooden base and the other pole of the battery is connected through a wire to a metal ring at the top of the cylindrical cage.
- the battery and conducting leads are insulated so that the only exposed metal linked to the poles of the battery is the metal ring at the top of the interior cage and the screw exposed on the bottom of the wooden base.
- the battery will set up an electric field between the screw in the wooden base and the conducting ring, which is believed will attract crayfish at a distance by the bait odor and will follow the converging field lines to the entrance to the trap at the top, and then enter the trap to try to eat the conducting ring.
- Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are sensitive to, and are attracted by, weak dipole electric fields which provide a new attractant for these and possibly other invertebrate animals to lure them into traps. This sensory capability has not previously been described for any invertebrate. Crayfish are attracted to weak dipole electric field sources (field strengths at least as low as 100 ⁇ V/cm) which they then try to dig up and eat. Preliminary data also indicate that crayfish orient along the field lines to stronger sources and then move towards the sources from distances of 10 cm. As in vertebrates, this sense is useful to crayfish and other invertebrates in localizing hidden prey.
- the invention may be used to attract many types of marine animals. The ability to locate living, dying or recently dead animals suggests that this ability is likely to be found in a broad population of marine and freshwater invertebrates, including, crayfish, crabs, lobsters, annelids including medicinal leeches and earthworms, and perhaps mollusks, including octopus, squid, snails, clams and scallops.
- Electrical dipole fields provide another, and potentially less costly and more effective, means of attracting animals of interest that possess an electric sense. Supplementing existing chemical attractants with an electrical attractant would provide an attractant that is more like normal prey, by giving off both chemical and electrical cues to its location.
- a suitably designed device that provides an appropriate electrical signal to supplement the chemical signal would significantly increase the catch provided by the chemical signal alone.
- Such a device would create a low-level dipole electric field from a source inside a non-conducting cage that extends some distance outside the cage.
- the field source might be as simple as a battery encased in an insulating material with leads to a pair of electrodes near the entrance to the cage.
- the device might also include an oscillator circuit that would enable time-varying fields to be created that oscillate at the frequency preferred by the targeted species.
- Field strength for crayfish would be in the range of a few hundred to a few thousand microvolts/cm at 20 cm from the cage at frequencies from DC to 10 Hz.
- the field could also be supplemented by time-release chemical attractants suitable for the targeted species.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU40498/97A AU4049897A (en) | 1996-08-09 | 1997-08-11 | Method and apparatus for electrically attracting aquatic animals |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US69477396A | 1996-08-09 | 1996-08-09 | |
US08/694,773 | 1996-08-09 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1998006256A1 true WO1998006256A1 (en) | 1998-02-19 |
WO1998006256A9 WO1998006256A9 (en) | 1998-07-09 |
Family
ID=24790217
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1997/013583 WO1998006256A1 (en) | 1996-08-09 | 1997-08-11 | Method and apparatus for electrically attracting aquatic animals |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (1) | AU4049897A (en) |
WO (1) | WO1998006256A1 (en) |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2913846A (en) * | 1958-03-24 | 1959-11-24 | Alberton L Mclain | Apparatus for controlling the upstream movement of fish |
DE1150241B (en) * | 1961-03-02 | 1963-06-12 | Franz Hager | Device for electric fishing in inland fishing |
US4589221A (en) * | 1984-05-04 | 1986-05-20 | Mattison Robert N | Fishing lure and entrapment device |
US4594965A (en) * | 1979-12-29 | 1986-06-17 | Asher Jr Donald F | Symbiotic aqua-culture |
WO1995003691A1 (en) * | 1993-07-27 | 1995-02-09 | Lasse Juhani Torronen | Lure |
-
1997
- 1997-08-11 WO PCT/US1997/013583 patent/WO1998006256A1/en active Application Filing
- 1997-08-11 AU AU40498/97A patent/AU4049897A/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2913846A (en) * | 1958-03-24 | 1959-11-24 | Alberton L Mclain | Apparatus for controlling the upstream movement of fish |
DE1150241B (en) * | 1961-03-02 | 1963-06-12 | Franz Hager | Device for electric fishing in inland fishing |
US4594965A (en) * | 1979-12-29 | 1986-06-17 | Asher Jr Donald F | Symbiotic aqua-culture |
US4589221A (en) * | 1984-05-04 | 1986-05-20 | Mattison Robert N | Fishing lure and entrapment device |
WO1995003691A1 (en) * | 1993-07-27 | 1995-02-09 | Lasse Juhani Torronen | Lure |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU4049897A (en) | 1998-03-06 |
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