Method and apparatus for harvesting crawfish and like living things

Apparatus for harvesting crawfish or like living objects from relatively shallow water which comprises:

• (a) a vehicle;
• (b) conveyor means aligned in the general direction in which the vehicle travels and adapted to carry the captured living objects from a forward position upwardly to a more elevated rearward position;
• (c) porous means extending laterally from the forward portion of the vehicle for engaging such objects below the water level and directing them toward said forward position of the conveyor means;
• (d) flexible drag means extending laterally from the forward portion of the vehicle, and disposed in front of the vehicle and in proximity to the lower portion of the porous means;
• and
• (e) substantially continuous hollow tubing having an outer diameter of at least 2 inches encasing a major portion of the length of said drag means so that as the tubing is moved forwardly by the drag means, the tubing creates and maintains an advancing zone of motion in the water in front of the tubing sufficient to lift crawfish or like living objects from the underwater ground surface up into the water for capture, said hollow tubing being flexible in a lateral direction such that said tubing may undulate as needed to remain generally in contact with said ground surface along a substantial portion of its length during said forward movement.

Apparatus for harvesting crawfish or like living objects from relatively shallow water in a flooded field which comprises:

• (a) a wheeled vehicle;
• (b) conveyor means mounted on the vehicle and aligned in the general direction in which the vehicle travels and adapted to carry the captured living objects from a forward position upwardly to a more elevated rearward position;
• (c) porous means extending laterally from the forward portion of the vehicle for engaging such objects below the water level and directing them toward said forward position of the conveyor means;
• (d) flexible drag means extending laterally from the forward portion of the vehicle, and disposed in front of the vehicle and in proximity to the lower portion of the porous means;
• and
• (e) substantially continuous hollow tubing having an outer diameter of at least about 2 inches encasing a major portion of the length of said drag means so that as the tubing is moved forwardly by the drag means, the tubing creates and maintains an advancing zone of motion in the water in front of the tubing sufficient to lift crawfish or like living objects from the underwater ground surface up into the water for capture, said hollow tubing being flexible in a lateral direction such that said tubing may undulate as needed to remain generally in contact with said ground surface along a substantial portion of its length during said forward movement, the apparatus being further characterized in that the wheels of the vehicle comprise hollow wheels with a large rolling surface area to reduce the amount by which the underlying ground of the flooded field is compacted or rutted by the vehicle during a harvesting operation.

Apparatus for harvesting crawfish from relatively shallow water which comprises:

• (a) a vehicle;
• (b) water-permeable means positioned on the front portion of the vehicle for capturing crawfish;
• and
• (c) means for issuing a plurality of underwater water jet streams outwardly and forwardly above the bottom surface of said relatively shallow water from the outer ends of the water-permeable means thereby tending to cause such living objects to move into the path in which the vehicle travels.

A method of harvesting crawfish or like living objects from relatively shallow water which comprises:

• (a) causing the objects to be moved in the water toward the mouth of a forwardly moving water-permeable zone;
• (b) causing the objects in said zone to be lifted from the water onto rearwardly moving conveyor means;
• and
• (c) forcing water away from behind said zone in the form of sidewardly directed sprays to create a rearward flow of water into the mouth of said zone to assist in directing the objects toward the mouth of said zone.

A method of harvesting crawfish or like living objects from relatively shallow water which comprises:

• (a) creating a forwardly moving zone of turbulence in the water so that such objects are drawn upwardly in the water;
• (b) causing the objects to be drawn toward the mouth of a water-permeable zone from whence they are transported upwardly from the water by a conveyor system;
• and
• (c) forcing water away from behind said zone in the form of sidewardly directed sprays to create a rearward flow of water into the mouth of said zone to assist in directing the objects toward the mouth of said zone.

A method of harvesting crawfish or like living objects from relatively shallow water which comprises:

• (a) creating a forwardly moving zone of turbulence in the water so that such objects are drawn upwardly in the water;
• (b) causing the objects to be drawn toward the mouth of a water-permeable zone from whence they are transported upwardly from the water by a conveyor system;
• and
• (c) forcing water away from behind said zone to create a rearward flow of water into the mouth of said zone to assist in directing the objects toward the mouth of said zone in the form of sidewardly directed sprays;
• said method being further characterized by causing said forwardly moving zone of turbulence to follow a serpentine path through the relatively shallow water so that substantial portions of the sprayed water falls on areas in between the serpentine path.

A method of harvesting crawfish or like living objects from relatively shallow water which comprises:

• (a) creating and maintaining an advancing zone of motion in the water by advancing along the underwater ground surface a substantially continuous tubing having an outer diameter of at least 2 inches to cause the crawfish or like living objects to move upwardly in the water in front of the advancing tubing, said tubing being flexible in a lateral direction such that said tubing may undulate as needed to remain generally in contact with said ground surface along a substantial portion of its length during said advancing of said tubing along said ground surface;
• (b) concurrently advancing through the water above said tubing, a water permeable zone having a mouth adapted to capture the upwardly moved living objects;
• and
• (c) forcing water away from behind said zone to create a rearward flow of water into the mouth of said zone to assist in directing the upwardly moved objects toward the mouth of said zone.