Water capture and collection system

Abstract

The invention relates to a system 2 for capturing fish 36, characterized in that it comprises a tube 16 for creating a curtain 27 of bubbles 26 below the surface S of the water and around a capture zone 34, a lamp 12 for illuminating the zone from below, and means 22, 39 for collecting the fish trapped in the zone. The invention also relates to a fishing technique using such a system. The invention further relates to a system and an associated method for collecting plastic and microplastic waste. Figure 2 for the abstract.

Description

Title of the invention: Water capture and collection system

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of collecting elements in water, in particular for sea fishing, in particular for fishing for live fish in schools.

[0002] Fishing using purse seines or trawls is known. However, these fishing techniques have many drawbacks. For example, fish are compressed and injured in these nets; some are brought up dead or too damaged to be sold as is. Furthermore, these techniques are not very selective or do not discriminate at all, and therefore are not suitable for sustainable and environmentally friendly fishing.

[0003] The object of the invention is to propose a fishing system and an associated fishing technique which makes it possible to solve the problems posed by known intensive fishing techniques.

[0004] According to the invention, a system for capturing 1 of the elements in an aquatic environment, in particular marine, river or lacustrine, comprises means for creating a curtain of bubbles under a water surface and around a capture zone, means for attracting these elements into the zone, and means for collecting these elements in the zone.

[0005] Such a system advantageously comprises: - a supporting structure, designed to be launched from a boat; - a flexible tube connected at two opposite ends to this structure; and, - submersible attraction means (12, 51),

[0006] the structure comprising a storage for all or part of the tube and a collector for collecting the elements, and, the tube being designed to create a bubble curtain.

[0007] The storage device may include means for winding the tube around an axis of the structure. The system may also include means for flattening the tube before winding.

[0008] The collector advantageously comprises a collector passage, a collector tube extending from this passage, and a wall flaring upwards from the passage, this wall forming an opening between two free ends towards the capture zone. Preferably, the wall comprises a lip designed to emit bubbles. The system advantageously comprises pumping means for drawing water and materials through the passage.

[0009] In such a system, adapted for capturing swimming prey, for example fish, cephalopods or crustaceans, the attraction means may include a lamp to illuminate the capture area from below. It advantageously includes lighting arranged near the collection passage.

[0010] An associated method for capturing prey preferably comprises the following steps: - to provide a system according to the invention; - to put this system in the water at the back of a boat; - to form a curtain of bubbles under a water surface, around a capture area; - to plunge the lamp into the middle of this area to illuminate the prey from below; and, - raise the lamparo until the prey are in the area, surrounded by the curtain (27); then, - to activate the means to collect the prey.

[0011] A method for capturing prey may also include the following steps: - to provide a system according to the invention; - put the supporting structure at the rear of the boat into the water, with the tube in the storage compartment; - deploy the tube so that it delimits the capture zone; and, - create a curtain of bubbles around this area using the tube; - submerge the lamparo in the area, down to below previously spotted fish; - raise the lamparo towards the surface so that the fish are kept in the area above a halo of the lamparo and surrounded by the curtain of bubbles; - Gradually add the prey from the tube to the storage container until it is in the collector; then, - to suck water and prey into this collector.

[0012] According to another object of the invention, in a system for collecting submerged waste, the attraction means include a bubble diffuser directed towards the bottom of the water.

[0013] An associated method for collecting waste advantageously comprises the following steps: - to provide a system according to the invention; - put the supporting structure at the rear of the boat into the water, with the tube in the storage compartment; - deploy this tube so that it delimits the capture zone and, - create a curtain of bubbles around the area using the tube; - immerse the diffuser near an area to be cleaned from the bottom of the water; - Gradually place the tube in the storage container until the waste is in the collector; then, - to suck up water and this waste into the collector.

[0014] Advantageously, the diffuser is given a movement around a vertical suspension axis in order to sweep the area to be cleaned.

[0015] Several embodiments of the invention will be described below, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0016] [Fig.1] is a schematic longitudinal and elevational view of a boat using a fishing system according to the invention;

[0017] [Fig.2] is a schematic enlarged longitudinal and elevation view of the fishing system of [Fig.1];

[0018] [Fig.3] is a schematic enlarged top view of the fishing system of the [Fig.1]

[0019] [Fig.4] is a schematic enlarged longitudinal and elevational view of a detail, illustrating in particular a collector device of the system of [Fig. 1]; and,

[0020] [Fig.5] is a schematic enlarged top view of the collector device of the [Fig.4];

[0021] [Fig.6] is a schematic enlarged longitudinal and elevational view of a variant of the collector device, using horizontal suction; and,

[0022] [Fig.7] is a schematic top view of the collector device of [Fig.4];

[0023] Figure 1 illustrates a small fishing boat 1 using a fishing system 2 according to the invention. The boat shown is of the recreational fishing type; the type of boat can be adapted to the size of the system used. The fishing system 2 is moored and towed behind the boat by means of a rope 3.

[0024] The fishing system comprises: - a load-bearing structure 11; - a lamparo 12 constituting means to attract fish or other swimming animals; - a spinnaker pole 13, equipped with a suspension line 14 for the lamparo; - a bubble tube 16; - a suction pipe 17; - an arm 18 equipped with a suspension 19, for the supporting structure 11; - 20 floats, only one of which is shown in the figures.

[0025] The load-bearing structure 11 comprising: - a storage unit 21 for tube 16; and, - a collector 22.

[0026] In the operating position shown in the figures, the supporting structure 11 is submerged and suspended from the arm 18 by means of the corresponding suspension line 19. The arm is extendable, so that the structure can be moved closer to or further from the stern of the boat 1. The length of the suspension line is adjustable, so that the structure is more or less submerged.

[0027] In the position of use shown in the figures, the lamparo 12 is submerged, suspended from the spinnaker pole 13 by the corresponding suspension line 14. It can be more or less Submerged, according to the fisherman's preference. In its usual position, illustrated in the figures, it shines upwards, that is, towards the surface S of the water. Its light attracts fish and keeps them within its halo 12H.

[0028] Tube 16 is a flexible tube with multiple holes. It is supplied by an air compressor – not shown in the figures – located on board the boat 1. In the operating position shown in the figures, tube 16 is submerged to an approximate depth denoted P16. The air in the tube ensures its deployment, inflation, and contributes to its buoyancy; as it rises towards the surface S, the escaping air forms a curtain 27 of bubbles 26. Tube 16 is designed to be able to be flattened radially when the air is expelled from it.

[0029] The storage unit 21 is in the form of a motorized reel, rotating about a vertical axis XI1 of the supporting structure 21. It is designed to wind and store the tube 16. The structure further includes two pressure rollers 28 designed to crush and flatten the tube 16 during its winding. Thus, as the tube 16 is wound, it passes between the rollers 28 and the air is expelled, so that it occupies a small space on the storage unit. A first end 16A of the tube is fixed to the structure 11 and supplied with pressurized air from the compressor via a supply pipe 29. A second end 16B of the tube is fixed to the storage unit, so that during its winding, the flattened tube winds around this second end. A drive belt 30 coordinates the winding movement of the tube with that of the rollers 28.

[0030] In the operating position illustrated in the figures, the tube forms a loop, held approximately at depth P16, on the one hand by the structure 11 to which its ends 16A, 16B are fixed, and on the other hand by the float 20, positioned opposite the structure. Preferably, several floats are used, distributed along the tube 16. The opening extends to the rear of the supporting structure, in the direction of travel of the boat 1.

[0031] The collector 22 includes a tubular collector passage 31, vertical about the axis XI1 of the structure. In the illustrated example, the passage 31 passes vertically through the storage unit and serves as its pivot. The collector 22 further includes a solid wall 32 that flares upwards from the passage 31. As particularly illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the wall 32 includes an upper lip designed to emit bubbles so as to ensure continuity of the bubble curtain around the area 34.

[0032] In the operating position illustrated in the figures, a first part 32A of the wall 32 extends between the stern of the boat 1 and the axis XI of the supporting structure. Two other parts 32B extend from the first part, on either side of the axis, flaring out from front to back; they form between their free ends 32C a opening 33 towards the rear, therefore towards a zone 34, delimited by the curtain 27 of bubbles.

[0033] A lower end of the collector passage 31 is connected to a first end of a collection pipe 39. An opposite end of the collection pipe 36 is connected to a water pump - not shown in the figures - located on board the boat 1.

[0034] The collector 22 also includes a lighting 40, preferably by LED (light-emitting diodes) located near the collector passage 31, which allows fish to be attracted there.

[0035] In the illustrated example, the supporting structure further includes a grid 38 extending between the ends 32C of the wall 32, within the opening 33. The grid limits the size of fish that can pass through the opening 33. In particular, it prevents the passage of species larger than the one intended for fishing. It also prevents the passage of fish or objects that could obstruct the collector.

[0036] The system according to the invention is particularly suitable for fishing for schooling fish, such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel, or horse mackerel. It is also suitable for catching other types of swimming prey such as cephalopods, like cuttlefish and squid, or crustaceans like shrimp or prawns.

[0037] We will now describe a fishing technique, that is to say a fishing method using a fishing system 2 according to the invention.

[0038] When a school of fish 36 is spotted, the support structure 11 is deployed using the arm 18, at the rear of the boat. The tube is wound onto the spool 21; it is then deployed so that the area 34 it delimits is positioned above the spotted school.

[0039] The lamparo 12 is then submerged in the middle of area 34, down to below the school of fish.

[0040] The lamp is then brought to the surface. Attracted by the halo of light 12H emitted by the lamp, the fish rise with the lamp to remain in it, until they reach the position shown in [Fig. 2]. In this position, the fish 36 are held below the surface S by the halo 12H, surrounded by the curtain of bubbles 27, which they consider impassable. Bubbles are emitted from the upper lip 320 of the wall 32, ensuring the continuity of the bubble curtain generated by the tube and preventing the fish from escaping.

[0041] The tube 16 is then progressively wound around the storage container 21, while the lamp 12 is brought closer to the supporting structure 11. The fish are thus grouped in the collector 22. With the water pump activated, the fish are then carried with the water through passage 31, then along collection pipe 39, to a suitable location on board boat 1.

[0042] Figure 6 illustrates a variant of the structure 11, in which the collector passage 31 is formed in a lower part of the wall 32 and the collection pipe 39 extends substantially horizontally from this passage. This arrangement ensures that the pressure along the pipe does not vary with its depth. It also allows for a more direct path for the fish.

[0043] Surprisingly, it appears that a capture system according to the invention can also be used to collect waste from the bottom of the water. Such a system will be described with reference to [Fig. 7], insofar as it differs from the capture system previously presented.

[0044] In this system, the attraction means comprise an air bubble diffuser 51 26 suspended from the arm by the suspension line 14. The diffuser is supplied with air by a hookah 52. The diffuser is positioned near the bottom 53 of the water. It is directed downwards, meaning that the bubbles are primarily emitted downwards. Some of the bubbles may also be emitted laterally or upwards. During its movement, a bubble is likely to attach itself to an asperity on a piece of waste 54. In the figure, each piece of waste is represented by a black dot. Thus, if a piece of waste has negative buoyancy, a group formed by at least one bubble attached to a piece of waste is likely to acquire positive buoyancy. By this means, the waste rises to the capture zone 34, where it is collected by the same principle as described previously, with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

[0045] The waste 24 rises naturally carried by the flow of bubbles 26 which will have detached them from the bottom and will then be trapped in the bubble curtain whose diameter is reduced and the plastic is concentrated in the capture zone.

[0046] A movement R around a vertical suspension axis X14 allows the diffuser to sweep a region of the bottom 53, corresponding substantially to the capture zone 34. The movement R can be spiral in shape, so that as the sweep progresses, the suspension line approaches the vertical suspension axis X14. The capture zone may not be positioned directly above the swept region, taking into account the currents in the water column that separate them.

[0047] Depending on the nature of the bottom and the distance between the bottom 53 and the diffuser, the bubbles come into more or less contact with the bottom, and stir it to a greater or lesser degree. By stirring the bottom 53, particularly if the bottom is muddy or sandy, the system dislodges waste buried there. Furthermore, it collects waste suspended in the water.

[0048] A waste collection system such as that shown with reference to [Fig. 7] is particularly suitable for collecting microplastics. It can be favorably It is used in lake environments or in pleasant harbors. It can also be used in marine coves, or in coastal environments with little tidal influence, such as in the Mediterranean Sea.

[0049] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples just described. On the contrary, the invention is defined by the following claims.

[0050] It will indeed appear to the person skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the embodiments described above, in the light of the teaching which has just been disclosed to him.

[0051] Thus, the size of the system can vary depending on its intended use. For example, there may be small models, suitable for recreational boating, or larger ones, suitable for industrial fishing.

[0052] Also, instead of illuminating upwards, the lamparo can be designed to illuminate downwards.

[0053] It can also be designed to illuminate upwards and downwards. In particular, a method can be provided in which the lamparo first illuminates downwards, so as to attract a school of fish towards the lamparo, and then, when the fish are sufficiently close to the lamparo, the latter illuminates upwards the capture area.

[0054] A fishing technique using a system according to the invention makes it possible to protect the resource. In particular, it does not use rope nets that injure or suffocate large fish or cetaceans. The fish, cephalopods, cuttlefish, squid, or crustaceans collected, carried along with the water in which they swim, are not injured; they can be discarded alive by the fishermen because they are juveniles, of an inadequate size, or if the quotas for a certain species whose fishing is bycatch are exceeded or their capture is prohibited. For the same reason, the fish collected are not damaged and retain their market value. In addition, this technique preserves the seabed, unlike a bottom trawl.

Claims

Demands

1. System (2) for capturing elements (36, 54) in an aquatic environment, in particular marine, river or lacustrine, characterized in that it comprises means (16, 320) for creating a curtain (27) of bubbles (26) under a water surface (S) and around a capture zone (34), means (12, 51) for attracting said elements into said zone, and means (22, 39) for collecting said elements in said zone.

2. Capture system (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: - a carrier structure (11), intended to be towed behind a boat (1); - a flexible tube (16) connected by two opposite ends (16A, 16B) to said structure; and, - submersible attraction means (12, 51), said structure (11) comprising a storage (21) for all or part of said tube (16) and a collector (22) for collecting the elements (36, 54), and, said tube being intended to create a curtain (27) of bubbles (26).

3. System according to claim 2, characterized in that the storer comprises means for winding the tube around an axis (XI) of the structure (11).

4. System according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises means (28, 28) for flattening the pipe before winding it.

5. System according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the collector (22) comprises a collector passage (31), a collector tube (39) extending from said passage and a wall (32) flaring upwards from said passage (31), said wall forming between two free ends (31C, 31C) an opening in the direction of the capture zone (34).

6. System according to claim 5, characterized in that the wall (32) comprises a lip (320), designed to emit bubbles.

7. System according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises pumping means for drawing water and elements through the passage (31).

8. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 for capturing swimming prey (36), characterized in that the attraction means include a lamparo (12) to illuminate the capture area from below.

9. System according to any one of claims 7 or 8 for capturing swimming prey (36), characterized in that the structure includes a lighting (40) disposed near the collector passage (31).

10. A method for capturing prey (36), characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - providing a system according to claim 8; - putting said system into the water at the rear of a boat (1); - forming a curtain (27) of bubbles (26) under a water surface (S) and around a capture zone (34); - lowering the lamparo (12) into the middle of said zone to illuminate said prey from below; and, - raising said lamparo until said prey are in said zone, surrounded by said curtain (27); then, - actuating the means (22, 36) to collect said prey.

11. A method for capturing prey (36), characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - providing a system according to claim 8; - deploying the support structure (11) at the rear of the boat, the tube (16) being in the storage unit (21); - deploying said tube so as to delimit the capture zone (34) and, - creating a curtain (27) of bubbles (26) around said zone (34) using said tube (16); - immersing the lamparo in the zone (34), up to below said previously located prey; - raising said lamparo towards the surface (S) so that the prey (36) are held in the zone (34) above a halo (12H) of the lamparo and surrounded by the curtain (27) of bubbles; - gradually put the tube (16) into stock in said stocker (21) until the prey are in the collector (22); then, - suck water and prey into said collector.

12. System according to any one of claims 1 to 7 for collecting submerged waste (54), characterized in that the attraction means comprise a bubble diffuser (51) directed towards the bottom (53) of the water.

13. A method for collecting waste (54), characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - providing a system according to claim 12; - putting the support structure (11) into the water at the rear of the boat, the tube (16) being in the storage unit (21); - deploying said tube so as to delimit the capture zone (34) and, - creating a curtain (27) of bubbles (26) around said zone (34) using said tube (16); - immersing the diffuser near an area to be cleaned from the bottom (53) of the water; - progressively putting the tube (16) into storage in said storage unit (21) until the waste is in the collector (22); then, - sucking water and said waste into said collector.

14. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the diffuser (51) is imparted a movement (R) around a vertical suspension axis (XI4) in order to sweep the area to be cleaned.

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