A crawfish trap bait guard which, in use, is mounted upon the staking rod of a crawfish trap, inside the mesh of the crawfish trap, above the floor of the trap, and below the water line. The crawfish trap bait guard encloses the bait in such a way as to prevent the access of birds and fish to the bait, while allowing crawfish within the trap to obtain managed portions of the bait by reaching through calibrated open areas distributed around the crawfish trap bait guard so as to allow a large number of crawfish to feed at the same time.

The invention is a system comprising a wire cage crustacean trap coupled to a remotely controlled subsystem operative to receive a control-coded acoustic signal and thereupon open an electrically controlled pneumatic valve allowing gas under pressure to be conveyed to a deflated bladder, such that the bladder inflates and brings the system to the surface. Backup systems will cause the valve to open when a preprogrammed time duration has elapsed and/or when a water leak is detected inside the remotely controlled subsystems water-tight container.

A system for managing and monitoring a sensor network that senses pest activity. A plurality of sensor stations may be controlled by the system, such sensor station configured for detecting the presence of pests at a baiting station, or for alerting users to the presence of a pest in a trap, as well as a related system of data collection and data management of pest activity data.

A system for managing and monitoring a sensor network that senses pest activity. A plurality of sensor stations may be controlled by the system, such sensor station configured for detecting the presence of pests at a baiting station, or for alerting users to the presence of a pest in a trap, as well as a related system of data collection and data management of pest activity data.

An apparatus that secures the buoy line and buoy to the top of the shellfish trap in an orderly manner until a galvanic timed release (GTR) coupling parts and releases the buoy to the sea surface. The GTR is a highly corrosive anode link which breaks after a predetermined period of immersion in seawater. After the GTR link breaks, the apparatus automatically releases the buoy. The unrestrained buoy rises to the surface so that the trap may be recovered. Until this time, marine mammals are protected from entanglement in the vertical buoy line. It is important that the buoy and, perhaps more importantly, the line associated with it, are packaged in a way to prevent fouling of the buoy lines. By design, the apparatus prevents the fouling of the buoy line that would result in the possible loss of the entire gear set.

Aquatic structures with adjustable buoyancy constructed in part with a vent valve for a buoyancy control device suitable for divers, where the vent valve may be opened by any combination of over-pressure, manual pressure relief or a powered means, where a force to a valve plug is applied by means of a spring that is constrained to prevent entirely lateral and angular movement but in which movement of the plug in the axis of the seat is unconstrained.

Aquatic structures with adjustable buoyancy constructed in part with a vent valve for a buoyancy control device suitable for divers, where the vent valve may be opened by any combination of over-pressure, manual pressure relief or a powered means, where a force to a valve plug is applied by means of a spring that is constrained to prevent entirely lateral and angular movement but in which movement of the plug in the axis of the seat is unconstrained.

The present disclosure relates to a system for tracking, locating and retrieving fishing traps at sea, the system comprising a plurality of smart trap units and/or trap companion units in communication with a fishing vessel. The fishing vessel has onboard software for tracking the deployment and retrieval of said units, with the data being recorded and uploaded to a network service offering. The units are configured to assist with retrieval of the traps by comprising one or more releasable buoys that may be deployed after a pre-set time or in response to a command signal.

The present disclosure relates to a system for tracking, locating and retrieving fishing traps at sea, the system comprising a plurality of smart trap units and/or trap companion units in communication with a fishing vessel. The fishing vessel has onboard software for tracking the deployment and retrieval of said units, with the data being recorded and uploaded to a network service offering. The units are configured to assist with retrieval of the traps by comprising one or more releasable buoys that may be deployed after a pre-set time or in response to a command signal.

A portable basket is used to collect multiple weighted lines that extend between a buoy and a submerged crab pot. The basket is a cylindrical structure with flexible sidewalls that extend from a top edge to a bottom panel. Attached to the inside surface of the basket near the top edge are at least two ring connectors. During use, the basket is positioned below a winch system to pull the weighted line and the crab pot out of the water. The weighted line's first connector is detached from the buoy and connected to a ring connector inside the basket. The winch is then activated to allow the weighted line to fall into the basket and get automatically stacked in a vertical coil configuration inside the basket. When the crab pot is lifted out of the water, the second connector is detached from the crab pot and attached to the second ring connector near the top edge. The process may be repeated to collect additional weighted lines. When setting a crab pot, the buoy and pot connectors from one weighted line are detached from the ring connector and attached to desired buoy and pot, respectively. The buoy, the pot, and the coiled weighted line can then be deposited into the water.