Method for electrofishing
AssigneeCoffelt Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsNorman G. Sharber, John P. Sharber
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
To minimize injury during electrofishing while inducing a high degree of electrotaxis, a packet of DC pulses having sharp leading edges and preferably an exponential or square decay are transmitted under water between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode several times each second to stimulate contraction of the red muscle tissues and bring about electrotaxis without inducing epileptic seizure of the white muscle tissues of fish and thereby avoiding injury to the fish. The power level of transmission is reduced between the packets.
Claims22
A method for electrofishing, said method comprising in combination:
- a) stimulating the red muscle tissue of fish to be captured in order to induce electrotaxis, said step of stimulating including the step of transmitting a packet of high frequency pulses;
- and
- b) relaxing stimulated white muscle tissues in the fish prior to onset of epileptic seizure, said step of relaxing including the step of repeating the transmission of the packet of high frequency pulses at a low frequency and the step of reducing the power level of transmission between the transmitted packets of high frequency pulses to zero.
Apparatus for electrofishing, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) means for stimulating the red muscle tissues of fish to be captured in order to induce electrotaxis, said stimulating means including means for transmitting a packet of high frequency pulses;
- and
- b) means for relaxing any stimulated white muscle tissues in the fish prior to onset of epileptic seizure, said relaxing means including means for repeating the transmission of the packets of high frequency pulses at a low frequency and means for reducing the power level of transmission between each of the transmitted packets of high frequency pulses to zero.
A method for electrofishing, said method comprising in combination:
- a) stimulating the red muscle tissues of fish of interest to be captured in order to induce electrotaxis, said step of stimulating including the step of repeatedly transmitting a packet of high frequency pulses;
- and
- b) relaxing any stimulated white muscle tissues in the fish of interest prior to onset of epileptic seizure, said step of relaxing including the step of transmitting a signal having a voltage level value below the rheobase voltage of the fish of interest to be captured interleaved with each of the transmitted packets of high frequency pulses.
Apparatus for electrofishing, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) means for stimulating the red muscle tissues of fish of interest to be captured in order to induce electrotaxis, said stimulating means including means for repeatedly transmitting a packet of high frequency pulses;
- and
- b) means for relaxing any stimulated white muscle tissues in the fish of interest prior to the onset of epileptic seizure, said relaxing means including means for transmitting a signal having a voltage level value below the rheobase voltage of the fish of interest to be captured interleaved with each of the transmitted packets of high frequency pulses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.