Lobster trap with ring guard assembly

Abstract

A lobster trap that promotes entry of lobsters into the trap while restricting lobsters from exiting the trap. Accordingly, a lobster trap comprises at least one head including an opening for entry into an interior of the trap, and a shield member mounted to the trap adjacent the opening. The shield member extends into the interior of the trap away from a plane of the opening and shields the opening from egress from the interior of the trap from at least one direction while not restricting entry to the interior of the trap. The lobster trap can further include a guard member extending from the shield so as to further restrict exit from the trap via the head.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 755,843 filed on May 31, 2007, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 803,789 filed on Jun. 2, 2006, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to traps for trapping sea creatures, such as crustaceans. More particularly, the invention relates to a gate for an opening of a trap.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Lobster fishing as a trade and for survival has been practiced for many years. The classic lobster trap is designed to trap a lobster by coaxing the lobster through one or more funnel shape passages. As lobsters are crawlers and not swimmers, lobster traps typically endeavor to make it easy for a lobster to crawl into the trap and difficult for the lobster to crawl out of the trap. One way in which this is done is using funnel-like nets that terminate at a ring t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The design enhances lobster entry and reduces escape rates, improving fishing efficiency and compliance with regulations by allowing undersized lobsters to escape while keeping legal-sized lobsters trapped.

Problems solved by technology

As lobsters are crawlers and not swimmers, lobster traps typically endeavor to make it easy for a lobster to crawl into the trap and difficult for the lobster to crawl out of the trap.

One way in which this is done is using funnel-like nets that terminate at a ring that is suspended above a bottom surface of the trap such that after a lobster crawls through the ring and enters the trap, the lobster is not readily able to reach the ring opening to escape the trap.

While the above described lobster trap is an effective tool for catching lobsters, a number of factors limit the efficiency of such traps.

Lobsters that approach the trap and do not enter may be deterred from entering by lobsters already in the trap that make entry difficult (e.g., by blocking the heads).

Still other lobsters are deterred from entering the trap because lobsters already in the kitchen may become aggressive and defend the bait bag.

Other governmental regulations, though not directly related to lobsters, can increase the cost of lobster traps by making the traps less efficient and / or increasing the likelihood of losing a trap on the ocean floor.

Regardless of the intended purpose of the regulations, the typical result for lobstermen is higher costs and / or lost profits.

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