A scallop trap and method of catching scallops

Abstract

Dredging is a very destructive method of harvesting scallops as it causes significant damage to marine habitats and contaminates scallops with grit. The invention provides a scallop (11) trap in which a structure (1) prevents the opening of a net (9) from closing, and a light source (3) is disposed above the opening. In this way, scallops can be captured more sustainably without excessive damage to their habitat and without introducing excess grit to the scallop.

Description

A scallop trap and method of catching scallops

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a scallop trap and finds particular, although not exclusive, utility in efficiently capturing scallops on the seabed without the need for harmful dredging techniques.

[0002] Scallops are a valuable shellfish that live on a water environment’s bed. More specifically, a scallop may be one of numerous species of saltwater clam or marine bivalve molluscs in the taxonomic family “Pectinidae”.

[0003] Scallops are typically harvested by dredging. Dredging is an operation that involves excavating material from a water environment, such as the sea, and can be used to recover valuable marine life, such as marine life having a commercial value. The excavation is typically undertaken by specialist floating equipment, known as a dredger, which collects material from the water environment’s bed. The material from the water environments bed is then lifted above the water and sorted. The unwanted material is redeposited on the water environment’s bed, often in a different place from where it was originally collected.

[0004] Dredging is a very destructive method of harvesting scallops as it causes significant damage to marine habitats by removing large parts of the water environment’s bed and dumping it elsewhere. In addition, scallops caught by this method contain more grit than those caught by hand.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a scallop trap comprising: a net comprising filaments arranged to form open spaces between the filaments, the net shaped to define an opening around a periphery of the net, and a region inside the net accessible through the opening; a structure coupled to the net and arranged, in use, to prevent the opening from closing; and a light source disposed, in use, above the opening.

[0006] In this way, scallops can be captured without introducing excess grit to the scallop. In addition, scallops can be captured more sustainably without excessive damage to their habitat. Introducing excess grit into the scallop may be otherwise be referred to as contaminating the scallop with grit.

[0007] The scallop trap may be a device designed to catch and retain a scallop by allowing entry but not exit.

[0008] The net may form a barrier to objects above a certain threshold size. For example, the open spaced between the filaments may be below that certain threshold size. For example, the net may be configured to retain typical scallops within, but allow smaller creatures to pass therethrough. In particular, the net may be configured to retain typical adult scallops within, while allowing juvenile scallops to pass therethrough.

[0009] Each open space may have a maximum width of at most 150mm, in particular at most 100mm, more particularly at most 75mm, for example at most 50mm.

[0010] The filaments may be formed of any conventional material, such as artificial polyamides (e.g. nylon), organic polyamides (e.g. wool, silk), natural and / or synthetic fibres, string, rope, thread, and / or any other suitable filament material. The filaments may typically be formed of flexible material; however, in some embodiments the filaments may be rigid and connected via joints.

[0011] The filaments may be arranged to form a regular grid pattern, which may comprise square / rectangular / quadrilateral shapes, triangular shapes, hexagonal shapes, etc, and / or may form an irregular pattern.

[0012] The net may be flexible in that it may be folded, curved or bent to form different shapes. However, the net may be inelastic, non-resilient and / or substantially non-deformable, for instance by virtue of the filaments being inelastic, non-resilient and / or substantially non-deformable. Accordingly, the Gaussian curvature of the net may remain unchanged as it is folded, curved or bent to form different shapes.

[0013] For example, the net may be planar (having a Gaussian curvature of zero), and so may be rolled into a tube-shape and gathered at one end leaving an opening at the opposing end. Alternatively, the net may be dome-shape (having a positive Gaussian curvature), and so the opening may merely be the periphery / perimeter of the net. However, the overall shape may be a combination of these, and may even include hyperbolic regions (having a negative Gaussian curvature), to form a cod-end and / or sock shape.

[0014] The opening may have a maximum lateral extent of between 500mm and 5000mm, in particular between 700mm and 3000mm, more particularly between 800mm and 1500mm, for example approximately 1000mm.

[0015] The region inside the net may be defined as a three-dimensional volume bounded by the net and the opening. The region inside the net may be termed a ‘chamber’ within the context of this application. The region inside the net may vary in volume, as the net is moved between different shapes; however, it is to be appreciated that there will be a maximum volume of the region above-which the volume of the region cannot grow without causing damage to the net, and similarly there will be a minimum volume of the region, which may be zero volume, below which the volume of the region cannot shrink.

[0016] The structure may be tied, stitched, sewn, glued or otherwise attached to the net.

[0017] In use may mean when the trap is deployed on the bed of a body of water, for example a seabed or riverbed.

[0018] Arranged to prevent the opening from closing may mean holding opposing sides of the opening apart such that the opening has a finite area through which the region inside the net may be accessed. In particular, the finite area may be equal to at least the size of two open spaces between the filaments, preferably more (for example at least the size of eighteen, thirty-six or fifty-four open spaces between the filaments).

[0019] The term “above” in this context is synonymous with “a higher level than”. The light source may be, but is not necessarily, directly above at least one of the ramps, the opening, and / or the chamber. For example, the light source may be, in use, above the ramp. Alternatively, for example, the light source may be, in use, above the ramp but laterally displaced from the ramp.

[0020] The light source may be at least one of an emitter of light. More specifically, the emitter of light may be one or more electronic lights, such one or more LEDs or lamps.

[0021] The emitter of light may be configured to emit light in a variety of different colours or wavelengths. For example, the emitter of light may be configured to emit only one, one or more, or more than one, of ultra violet coloured light, violet coloured light, indigo coloured light, blue coloured light, green coloured light, yellow coloured light, orange coloured light, red coloured light, infrared coloured light, or a specific combination thereof, such as white coloured light. For example, the emitter of light may be configured to emit green coloured light in the absence of any other colour of light, or the emitter of light may be configured to emit blue and yellow (and optionally green) coloured lights in the absence of any other colour of light.

[0022] The emitter of light may comprise a continuous or constant emitter of light. Alternatively, or additionally, the emitter of light may comprise an intermittent light, such as, a pulsed, flickering or flashing emitter of light. The intermittent light may have a predetermined pulse rate or frequency of operation. For example, the intermittent light may have a pulse rate or frequency of operation that is below the flicker fusion threshold for a scallop. More specifically, the emitter of light may have a pulse rate or frequency of operation that is below 100Hz, below 75Hz, below 50 Hz, below 25Hz or below 5Hz.

[0023] A duty cycle of the intermittent light may be configured to maximise the number of scallops attracted. For example, the intermittent light may be on for less than a minute and off for at least 30 minutes or alternatively on for a period of between 10 and 20 minutes with an off period of at least 2 hours. The intermittent light may have a duty cycle of below 1%, below 5%, below 10%, below 30% or below 50%.

[0024] The emitter of light may be configured to have a single intensity, or may be configured to operate with multiple intensities. For example, the emitter of light may be configured to emit light at a first intensity for a first period of time, and emit light at a second intensity, less than the first intensity, for a second period of time. In particular, the second period of time may be greater than the first period of time. In this way, a bright intense light may attract the attention of the scallops over a brief period of time, and then once their attention has been caught, a lower level light may be used as an ongoing attractant over a longer period of time, thereby saving energy. For example, the first period of time may be between thirty seconds and two minutes, in particular between forty-five seconds and one-and-a-half minutes, more particularly approximately one minute. Similarly, the second period of time may be between ten minutes and two hours, in particular between 20 minutes and an hour, more particularly approximately 30 minutes.

[0025] In some examples, the light source may be a luminescence based light, such as a chemiluminescence based light. Electronic lights allow the trap to be more easily maintained by removing the need to frequently top up the light source.

[0026] The light source may be disposed between 150mm and 1000mm above the opening, in particular between 200mm and 800mm above the opening, more particularly between 300mm and 600mm above the opening.

[0027] The light source may be buoyant; that is, the light source may float in water. The light source may be attached to a float line extending from the net and / or structure. Alternatively or additionally, the light source may be attached to a member that is connected to the structure.

[0028] The net may be a weighted net; that is, negatively buoyant weights may be attached to the net across its surface. However, in alternative arrangements, the net may be negatively buoyant or neutrally buoyant.

[0029] The structure may be negatively buoyant; that is, structure may sink in water.

[0030] The structure may comprise at least one member. The member may be less flexible than the net, for example less flexible than the filaments. The member may be rigid or resilient; that is, compared to the net, deformation of the at least one member by a force may be difficult / impossible, or may result in the at least one member returning to its original shape after removal of the force. The at least one member may comprise only a single member, or may comprise a plurality of members (for example, two, three, four, five or six members).

[0031] The structure may comprise a hoop, which may be substantially circular, rectangular, or any other convenient shape to construct and attach the periphery of the net thereto. Alternatively, the structure may comprise struts extending across the opening from one side to another, such as a diameter, chord, or similar. For example, the structure may form a cross shape.

[0032] The trap may comprise a line extending from the net and / or structure for raising and / or lowering the net in the water. The line may comprise the float line.

[0033] The structure may be configured to distort when the line is under tension. For example, the structure may be configured to fold or bend when a tension is applied to the line, for instance above a certain minimum threshold tension, which may be zero, or may be chosen to be above a typical tension present on the line imparted by the sea. The structure may comprise at least one portion that is resilient, flexible, elastic, sprung, hinged and / or jointed.

[0034] In this way, when the net is raised from the water by the line, the opening may close to prevent scallops withing the net from leaving the region.

[0035] The structure may comprise a ramp, for instance surrounding the opening. In this way, scallops may be assisted in moving over the structure into the opening.

[0036] The ramp may be between 30mm and 200mm high, in particular between 60mm and 160mm high, more particularly between 80mm and 140mm high, for example approximately 100mm high.

[0037] The ramp may have a first portion disposed away from the opening and a second portion adjacent to the opening, and in use the second portion is disposed above the first portion. The ramp may be a sloping surface joining two different levels, in use. For example, a ramp may join a first level, such as a seabed, and a second level that is higher than the first level, such as the top of a perimetric wall or the bottom of an opening into an enclosure or cavity. The ramp may be a linearly inclined surface or may be inclined with a varying profile. A varying profile may vary the angle of incline along the ramp. For example, a varying profile may have a greater angle of inclination at one portion of the ramp with respect to another portion of the ramp. More specifically, a varying profile may have a first portion disposed outside of the chamber and a second portion adjacent to the opening, and the first portion may have a steeper incline when compared with the second portion, alternatively the second portion may have a steeper incline when compared with the first portion.

[0038] The ramp may have an inclination of between 20 degrees and 60 degrees, in particular between 30 degrees and 55 degrees, more particularly between 40 degrees and 50 degrees, for example approximately 45 degrees.

[0039] The angle of incline may be, in use, with respect to the ground or the seabed. Alternatively, or additionally, the angle of incline may be, in use, with respect to a horizontal plane and / or with respect to a plane that is perpendicular to a perimetric wall of the chamber.

[0040] The ramp may be inclined at an angle of incline. For example, the angle of incline may be between the first portion of the ramp and the second portion of the ramp. The angle of incline may be between 5 and 50 degrees. More specifically, the angle of incline may be between 5 and 50 degrees, between 15 and 50 degrees, between 25 and 50 degrees, or between 35 and 50 degrees. In some examples, the angle of incline does not exceed 45 degrees. In some examples, the angle of incline is at least 30 degrees.

[0041] In this way, the ramp can be optimised to maximise the capture rate for scallops. More specifically, the incline of the ramp can be optimised to maximise the capture rate for different types of scallop, such as for example, different sizes of scallop or for scallops at different stages of their development.

[0042] The ramp may be substantially rigid, for instance being formed of metal extending from the structure.

[0043] The ramp may be substantially flexible and / or resilient. In this way, the ramp may conform to the shape of an uneven seabed. The ramp may comprise nylon, rubber, synthetic rubber, or similar material. The ramp may comprise a fringe or skirt. The ramp may be formed of flexible fingers projecting down and / or outwardly from the structure. The fingers may be bristles (e.g. of a brush).

[0044] The opening may be configured to allow the entry of a scallop. More specifically an opening may be configured to provide an opening with a smallest dimension of at least 4 cm, at least 6 cm, at least 8cm or at least 10cm. An opening with a smallest dimension of at least 6 cm, 8 cm or 10 cm may be sufficient to allow a scallop to proceed through the opening, depending on the minimum stage of development of the scallop intended to be caught by the trap. Alternatively or additionally, the opening may be configured to provide an opening with a largest dimension of at most 40 cm, in particular at most 30 cm, more particularly at most 20 cm, or for example at most 15 cm. A larger opening may facilitate capture of a scallop. A smaller opening may facilitate scallop retention within the trap.

[0045] A slot or cavity may be formed between the ramp and the chamber. That is to say, the space that is under the ramp, in use, forms a slot or cavity. This slot or cavity may otherwise be referred to as a retention slot or a retention cavity. The retention slot or retention cavity may increase the capture yield or capture retention because, in use, a captured creature becomes stuck under the ramp in said retention slot or cavity when trying to escape and is physically prevented from escaping the trap by the ramp, under which the creature is trapped.

[0046] The ramp may comprise holes therein. The ramp may be formed from one or more sheets and / or screens comprising holes. Each sheet and / or screen comprising holes may be a perforated sheet and / or screen. Each sheet and / or screen comprising holes may be a material into which holes are formed. Each sheet and / or screen comprising holes may be formed from a wire mesh. The holes of each sheet and / or screen may be configured to have a largest dimension of less than 6 cm, less than 8cm or less than 10cm. The sheet and / or screen may be made from a variety of materials including netting, plastic, metal, wire, etc.

[0047] In this way, the unintentional drift of a scallop trap can be reduced. Moreover, the largest dimension of the holes may be configured such that the trap only retains scallops that are at a minimum stage of development.

[0048] The scallop trap may also comprise a deflector configured to physically prevent objects that pass over the ramp from bypassing the chamber. More specifically, in some examples, the deflector is configured to, in use, physically prevent objects that pass over the top of the ramp from bypassing, or otherwise avoiding, the chamber. The top of the ramp may be, in use, the highest end of the ramp. Each ramp may have a respective deflector. In some examples, a single deflector may be effective for multiple ramps.

[0049] In some examples, a covering may be provided that is spaced apart from the opening. However, this covering is not required to prevent the escape of some creatures, such as scallops. In some examples, the scallop trap may have, in use, an open-top. An open-top design allows for the escape of creatures that are strong swimmers, such as fish. Thereby an open-top design provides a trap that can retain a higher yield of scallops and that is less damaging to the eco-system, through the capture of fewer undesirable fish. A deflector may be especially beneficial to an open-top scallop trap.

[0050] A deflector may be provided. The deflector may be configured to physically prevent objects that pass over the second portion of the ramp from bypassing the chamber.

[0051] In this way, scallops may be captured in a cavity or chamber with, in use, an open top. The deflector physically prevents objects from bypassing the chamber once they have passed over the second portion of the ramp. Thereby, scallop traps in which the entirety of the chamber is disposed, in use, below the second portion of the ramp, can effectively capture scallops.

[0052] In this way, smaller trap designs can be provided that use less construction material. Moreover, it may provide more durable designs that are easier to collect trapped scallops from, as fiddly moving parts of the trap can removed and the catch can be recovered by simply inverting the trap. Furthermore, a greater total length of ramp for given design area can be used, which increases capture rate for compact devices.

[0053] The ramp may be a perimetral ramp configured to surround the opening. A deflector may be provided in the centre of the perimetral ramp. The deflector may be configured to physically prevent objects that pass over the second portion of the ramp from bypassing the chamber.

[0054] In this way, the scallop capture rate can be maximised for a given size of scallop trap.

[0055] The perimetral ramp may have a square, rectangular or round shape or footprint. Alternatively or additionally, the chamber may comprise the perimetral ramp.

[0056] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of catching scallops, the method comprising the steps of: providing the scallop trap of the first aspect; placing the scallop trap on a bed of a body of water, with the opening uppermost and the net below the opening; activating the light source; waiting for scallops to be attracted by the light source; and raising the scallop trap from the water such that the scallops are retained within the net.

[0057] The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

[0058] is a top plan view of a first scallop trap.

[0059] is a top plan view of a second scallop trap.

[0060] is a side plan view of the scallop trap of eitheror.

[0061] is a perspective view of a third scallop trap.

[0062] is a perspective view of a fourth scallop trap.

[0063] is a top plan view of fifth scallop trap deployed on a seabed.

[0064] is a side plan view of the fifth scallop trap deployed on a seabed.

[0065] is a side plan view of the fifth scallop trap being raised.

[0066] is a top plan view of a sixth scallop trap.

[0067] is a side plan view of a part of the sixth scallop trap.

[0068] The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

[0069] Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein. Likewise, method steps described or claimed in a particular sequence may be understood to operate in a different sequence.

[0070] Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

[0071] It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

[0072] Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term “connected”, used in the description, should not be interpreted as being restricted to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device A connected to a device B” should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. “Connected” may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. For instance, wireless connectivity is contemplated.

[0073] Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any one embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner with any other particular feature, structure or characteristic of another embodiment or aspect of the invention, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

[0074] Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

[0075] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0076] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

[0077] In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

[0078] The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certain circumstances. The use of the term “any” may mean “all” and / or “each” in certain circumstances.

[0079] In the description provided herein the terms “part” and “portion” are used interchangeably herein.

[0080] The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

[0081] is a top plan view of a first scallop trap comprising a rigid ring structure 1 forming an opening to a net (not shown), and a floating light 3 connected by four float lines 5 to the structure 1.

[0082] is a top plan view of a second scallop trap comprising a rigid rectangular structure 1 forming an opening to a net (not shown), and a floating light 3 connected by four float lines 5 to respective corners of the structure 1.

[0083] is a side plan view of the scallop trap of eitheror, with a line 7 hauling the scallop trap from a seabed. A loose net 9 connected to the structure 1 is shown containing caught scallops 11.

[0084] As can be seen from, the structure 1 has a finite height, which may cause an obstacle to scallops attempting to enter the trap if the height of the structure 1 is too great.

[0085] is a perspective view of a third scallop trap that includes a peripheral ramp 13 around the opening. The ramp 13 is sloped at approximately 45 degrees outward and downward, so that it is wider at its base 15 than at the opening at the top 17. Suspended across the opening by a rigid bar 19 is a light 21; however, equally a floating light could be used instead. A net (not shown) is connected by its opening to the peripheral ramp 13.

[0086] The arrangement ofis shown square, but it is to be appreciated that other shapes are possible. A line would be connected to an eye 23 to enable the scallop trap to be removed from a body of water in direction of the arrow 25. The eye 23 joins two sub-lines 27 which in turn are attached to adjacent upper corners of the square ramp 13. The number of sub-lines may be more or fewer than shown in the figure, and they could be distributed symmetrically around the scallop trap if desired.

[0087] is a perspective view of a fourth scallop trap, shown partially cutaway. The scallop trap is formed of a low rectangular frame 29 with an open top and bottom, and a net 9 connected with its opening around the bottom of the frame. The scallop trap ofis shown as it would be deployed on a seabed, with the net 9 collapsed beneath the frame 29.

[0088] On two opposing sides of the perimeter of the frame are attached downwardly-extended flexible fingers 31 that form a ramp for ease of access into the opening. If an obstruction, such as a rock, is present adjacent to the frame, the flexible fingers 31 will flex away at that point, enabling the frame to sit flat on the seabed.

[0089] A light source and line are not shown in, for clarity.

[0090] is a top plan view of fifth scallop trap deployed on a seabed and comprising a net 9 having a peripheral opening 33 held open by four rigid struts 35, extending from a central mounting point 37 to the peripheral opening 33 such that the opening 33 forms a square shape, with each strut 35 extending to a respective corner. The floating light and lines are not shown, for clarity.

[0091] is a side plan view of the fifth scallop trap deployed on a seabed, with a line 7 hauling the scallop trap from a seabed connected to a floating light 3, which is in turn connected by four float lines 5 to the respective corners of the peripheral opening of the net 9 to which the struts 35 are connected.

[0092] is a side plan view of the fifth scallop trap being raised in the direction of the arrow by the line 7. As is apparent, the weight of scallops 11 in the net 9, together with the drag produced by the net 9, causes a tension in the line 7 that enables resistance in the central mounting point 37 to be overcome, allowing the struts 35 to pivot with respect to one another. This allows them to fold-up and thereby close the peripheral opening 33.

[0093] is a top plan view of a sixth scallop trap similar to that shown in, but with a modified central mounting point 37. The peripheral opening 33 is held open by four rigid struts 35, connected at the central mounting point 37 to a flexible disc 39 by respective sockets 41, and extending to the peripheral opening 33 and connected thereto at 43 such that the opening 33 forms a square shape, with each strut 35 extending to a respective corner. The net, floating light and lines are not shown, for clarity.

[0094] is a side plan view of a part of the sixth scallop trap being raised upward. The float lines 5 are shown in part extending toward the light source and line (not shown), and being pulled in the direction of the arrows. In a similar manner to that described with respect to, the flexible disc 39 is able to flex, allowing the struts 35 to move relative to one another and close the peripheral opening 33.

Claims

A scallop trap comprising:a net comprising filaments arranged to form open spaces between the filaments, the net shaped to define an opening around a periphery of the net, and a region inside the net accessible through the opening;a structure coupled to the net and arranged, in use, to prevent the opening from closing; anda light source disposed, in use, above the opening.The scallop trap of claim 1, wherein the light source is buoyant and is attached to a float line extending from the net and / or structure.The scallop trap of claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a line extending from the net and / or structure for raising and / or lowering the net in the water.The scallop trap of claim 3, wherein the structure is configured to distort when the line is under tension.The scallop trap of any preceding claim, wherein the structure comprises a ramp.The scallop trap of claim 5, wherein the ramp is substantially flexible and / or resilient.A method of catching scallops, the method comprising the steps of:providing the scallop trap of any proceeding claim;placing the scallop trap on a bed of a body of water, with the opening uppermost and the net below the opening;activating the light source;waiting for scallops to be attracted by the light source; andraising the scallop trap from the water such that the scallops are retained within the net.

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