US 2026/0231910 A1Published application

Apparatus and method for fish tagging

AssigneeOregon State University

InventorsMichael A. Banks, Drummond Wengrove, Rahul Kumar Nalubandhu, Spencer Tanenholtz, David P. Jacobson

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Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for fish tagging. In at least one example, the apparatus comprises: a tunnel having a length extending between a first opening and a second opening; a motion sensor positioned on or within the tunnel at a first distance from the first opening, wherein the first distance is a portion of the length; a punch comprising a shaft, wherein the shaft comprises a tip and extends transversely into an interior region of the tunnel through an upper wall of the tunnel at a second distance from the first opening. The punch is coupled to an actuator coupled to the upper wall of the tunnel. and an anvil coupled to a lower wall of the tunnel below the tip of the punch. The anvil comprises a third opening aligned to an axis of the punch.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a tunnel having a length extending between a first opening and a second opening, wherein the tunnel is tilted at an angle between 10 and 45 degrees;
a motion sensor positioned on or within the tunnel at a first distance from the first opening, wherein the first distance is a portion of the length;
a punch comprising a shaft, wherein the shaft comprises a tip at an end of the shaft, and extends transversely into an interior region of the tunnel through an upper wall of the tunnel at a second distance from the first opening, wherein the second distance is larger than the first distance and is positioned to enable tissue sampling from a fish sliding down the tilted tunnel, and wherein the punch is coupled to an actuator, and wherein the actuator is coupled to an exterior surface of the upper wall of the tunnel;
and
an anvil coupled to the upper wall of the tunnel below the tip of the shaft, wherein the anvil comprises a third opening extending through a lower wall of the tunnel and aligned to an axis of the punch, wherein the lower wall is opposite to the upper wall, and wherein a tissue catchment is below the third opening.

2 more elements

A method for collecting tissue samples from a fish, comprising:

providing a tissue sampling apparatus, wherein the tissue sampling apparatus comprises:
a tunnel comprising a tubular body having a length extending between a first opening and a second opening of the tubular body, wherein the tunnel is tilted at an angle between 10 and 45 degrees;
a motion sensor positioned on or within the tunnel at a first distance from the first opening, wherein the first distance is a portion of the length;
a punch comprising a shaft, wherein the punch comprises a tip and extends transversely into an interior region of the tunnel through a wall of the tunnel at a second distance from the first opening, wherein the second distance is larger than the first distance and is positioned to enable tissue sampling from a fish sliding down the tilted tunnel, and wherein the punch is coupled to an actuator coupled to an exterior surface of the wall of the tunnel;
and
an anvil coupled to the wall of the tunnel below the tip of the punch, wherein the anvil comprises a third opening aligned to an axis of the punch;
gravity feeding the fish into the tunnel through the first opening, wherein the fish slides down the tunnel towards the second opening;
activating the punch when the motion sensor detects passage of the fish, wherein the tip of the punch moves through the third opening in the anvil;
removing a portion of a tissue of the fish;
and
storing the portion of the tissue of the fish.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.