Radio controlled gill net recovery transmitters

A gill net recovery device in combination with and for locating and recovering a gill net lost at sea, comprising in combination:

• said gill net having a net with openings for catching fish gills therein, said net having a netting mesh, an upper float line with floats attached to the net and a lower weighted lead line with weights, with the netting mesh in between said upper float line and said lower weighted lead line, the gill net further having lines connected to one more floating buoys and lines connected to one or more display flags for floating above the upper float line, wherein the floats, the one or more floating buoys and/or one or more display flags can break away from the upper float line, lines connected to one or more floating buoys or lines connected to one or more display flags, causing said gill net to float away undetected below a surface of the sea,
• at least two radio signal transmitters for transmitting radio signals to a remote receiver and located inside respective buoyant container bodies;
• wherein said buoyant container bodies are releasably attached to said upper float line and adapted to float to the surface of the sea and allow said at least two radio signal transmitters to transmit said radio signals;
• wherein said buoyant container bodies comprise releasable attachment means and interval timers, said releasable attachment means comprising at least one fastener, each of said buoyant container bodies attached by said at least one fastener to said upper float line above the netting mesh of the gill net, said interval timers activate the releasable attachment means to release said buoyant container bodies and radio transmitters therein from the upper float line at an end of a fixed time period controlled by the interval timers and permitting each said radio transmitter of each said buoyant body to send out a locator signal incorporating a numerical sequence in which each said buoyant body was released freely from said gill net;
• and
• wherein each said radio transmitter automatically begins transmitting said locator signal which defines a trail over time of the lost gill net to support tracking and identifying an exact path, velocity and location of said gill net from which the floating bodies and respective radio transmitters were releasably detached.

A method for locating and recovering a gill net lost at sea, comprising the steps of:

• suspending a free floating gill net in a sea and below a surface of said sea, said gill net having a netting mesh, an upper float line, and a lower weighted lead line along upper and lower edges, respectively, of said mesh;
• attaching floats to the upper float line, and weights to said lower weighted lead line allowing said gill net to float freely beneath said surface of said sea;
• attaching floating buoys to said gill net to mark location of said gill net under said sea;
• and
• attaching to said gill net a radio transmitter within an enclosed container body, said container body including a timer initiating radio transmission by said radio transmitter after a normal retrieval time for said gill net has elapsed indicating that said gill net is floating undetected under said sea thereby allowing tracking of said gill net.