Abstract:
Measures for controlling nuisance-carp populations include a harvest apparatus for harvesting not sub-surface fish but fish that leap out of the water proximate the harvest apparatus. Detectors detect when subsurface fish are within proximity of the effective range of the harvest apparatus and, when such are detected, a stimulus is applied which causes target fish like nuisance carp but not desirable fish to leap out of the water. When that happens, the harvest apparatus takes its toll on the leaping fish, harmlessly to the desirable fish which do not leap, and instead might flee from the stimulus by diving deeper.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/873,732, filed Dec. 8, 2006; U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/874,187, filed Dec. 9, 2006; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/937,020, filed Jun. 25, 2007. The disclosures of all the foregoing are incorporated herein by this reference thereto. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to fish culturing including electric type fish diverter or barrier and, most particularly, to control measures for Asian carp considered an invasive or nuisance species in selected bodies of waters/waterways. 
     It is an aspect of the invention to utilize for advantage the quirky habit of Asian carp to leap out of the water when so stimulated. This quirky habit may be some sort of innate flee or flight reflex. Regardless, it is a well-documented habit. 
     A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of the invention as presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, and is capable of variation within the scope of the skills of a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. In the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of nuisance-carp control measures in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of apparatus for nuisance-carp control measures in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is comparable to  FIG. 2  except on an enlarged scale; 
         FIG. 4  is an top plan section taken along the line IV-IV in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of apparatus comparable to  FIGS. 2-4  except showing an alternate design for the harvesting impeller; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view comparable to  FIG. 5  except showing still another design for the harvesting impeller; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view comparable to  FIGS. 5 and 6  except showing still an additional design for the harvesting impeller; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment for apparatus in accordance with the invention to control nuisance carp populations; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment for apparatus in accordance with the invention to control nuisance carp populations; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of another embodiment for apparatus in accordance with the invention to control nuisance carp populations; and 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a further embodiment for apparatus in accordance with the invention to control nuisance carp populations. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows apparatus  10  and methods for practicing nuisance or Asian carp control measures in accordance with the invention in bodies of water/waterways where such are considered an invasive or nuisance species. 
     More particularly,  FIG. 1  shows a harvest station  12  preferably comprising a floating dock or logs and decks of a pontoon boat in order to float the equipment as well as be transportable to strategic locations. In  FIG. 1 , the harvest station  12  is anchored off the bottom some distance away from the shoreline or shorelines. The harvest station  12  serves as the focal point for one or more weirs  14  comprising electric diverters or barriers for funneling the Asian carp to the harvest station. Such apparatus are disclosed for example and without limitation by: 
     U.S. Pat. No. 1,974,444—Burkey; 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,140—Applegate et al. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,421—Volz; 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,810—Sharber; 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,111—Smith; and 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,734—Smith et al. 
     Again, the electrified weirs  14  serve to funnel fish to the harvest station  12 , and hence are funnel-form. The weirs  14  form a throat or choke point proximate the harvest station  12 . The harvest station  12  includes harvest measures  14  to be described more particularly below which are effective to harvest not the sub-surface fish but only fish that leap out of the water. Hence the harvest station  12 &#39;s harvest measures  16  are arranged in geometry including without limitation a circle or ring. The harvest station  12  further comprises an ultrasonic transducer  22  or any other suitable sensor which is operated by and feeds its return echo to an ultrasound fish location unit  24 . Such a transducer  22  and fish location unit  24  are common packages sold at retail for that segment of the consuming public typified by freshwater bass fisherman. These packages of transducer  22  and fish location unit  24  include features such as capability to differentiate relative size of the fish swimming underneath the transducer  22 . 
     The harvest station  12  is furthermore a platform for a master controller  26 . The master controller  26  continually monitors the fish location unit  24 &#39;s output for the event when two conditions are “true” or met concurrently:— 
     1—detection of a fish or fishes swimming underneath the about the center of geometry of the harvest measures  16 ; and
         2—detection of whether any one the fish exceeds a pre-defined size threshold. When both conditions are met, preferably the master controller  26  executes two functions simultaneously.       

     Now preliminarily, the harvest station  12  is moreover a platform for suspending a stimulus device  28 . Preferably although not exclusively, the stimulus device  28  comprises an electrode in much the same nature as the above-referenced electrified fish barriers or diverters as the weirs  14 . The difference is that the stimulus device  28  operates at different voltage and/or current levels, or at different frequency or an otherwise varying output. It is an aspect of the invention that the stimulus is selected according to not just its effectiveness to cause Asian carp to jump out of the water but also its counterpart dissimilar effect on all other, non-target species of aquatic fauna. 
     That is, it is acceptable if the stimulus device  28  causes non-target-species such as black bass or salmonids—to dive deeper, so long as the stimulus device  28  does not cause such to leap out of the water. It is only the Asian carp that are wanted to leap out of the water. 
     Alternative stimuli might include without limitation an injection though a subsurface nozzle of a burst of compressed air (not shown). The sudden release of compressed air underwater is known to produce a sound wave in water much like an explosion; and whether it be like a firecracker or stick of dynamite is relative to how highly-pressurized is the released air. This phenomena is advantageously utilized by geophysical survey professionals who map deep ocean bottoms. 
     To return to the master controller  26 , it preferably executes two functions simultaneously when the above-two enumerated conditions are met. That is, the master controller  26  preferably triggers or switches ON the stimulus device  28  and the harvest measures  16  (ie., if the harvest measures  16  are not already continuously ON). The intended result is that Asian carp, if any, shall leap out of the water within the geometry of the harvest measures  16 , and the harvest measures  16  will accomplish an effective harvest of such leaping carp. The particular harvest measure or measures  16  implemented in any given situation can be selected from the following devices or devices meant to launch or shoot such harvesters or projectiles:—
         Fire   Water spray   Paddles   BB&#39;s   Electrocution   Air blower   Blades   Chain saw   Scalding hot water   Hot grid   Grinders       

       FIGS. 2 through 4  provide an illustration of one exemplary embodiment of apparatus  110  for nuisance-carp control measures in accordance with the invention. 
     A raft  112  of a pair of spaced pontoons carry a horizontal-axis impeller  116 . An electrified weir  114  spreads out in front of the raft  112  to aid in funneling fish under the impeller  116 . A combination detector/stimulus device  122 ,  128  is providing signals into the water below the raft to determine the occurrence or near-occurrence of fish swimming within an effective proximity of the impeller  116  and, in the event of such determination, the same device  122 ,  128  is available for triggering the stimulus impulse. 
       FIG. 4  shows that a plurality of like apparatus  110  with the raft design can be moored in linear arrays to create broad fronts (as shown) or in arrays with ranks behind the front rank (eg., line) to provide depth (not shown) in order to expand the overall effective area of the harvest impellers  116  as an array. 
     The impeller  116  is show as configured with axially-straight vanes.  FIG. 5  shows an alternate design for the harvesting impeller  117 , one with reel-lawnmower style helical blades.  FIG. 6  is a view comparable to  FIG. 5  except showing still another design for the harvesting impeller  118 , this one comprising a flail design.  FIG. 7  is a view comparable to  FIGS. 5 and 6  except showing a vertical-axis impeller  119 . 
       FIG. 8  shows an alternative embodiment for apparatus  210  in accordance with the invention to control nuisance carp populations. The base  212  for the harvest measures  216  comprises a self-propelled watercraft. The harvest measures  216  comprise a battery of fowling pieces or the like:—such as projectors like air cannon or scatter-shot guns that broadcast a mass of pellets but only with a short effective range. Preferably the pellets are environmentally neutral to friendly, including comprising feed pellets. That way, the activity of harvesting nuisance fish concurrently enriches the aquatic environment for more desirable fishes. 
     In  FIG. 8 , the pellet cannon  216  are preferably aimed for fish leaping out ahead of the watercraft  212 . An electrified weir  214  is supported forward of the watercraft  212  to funnel fish inwards from lateral lanes away from the outboard beam of the watercraft  212  to a relatively central aisle straight before the watercraft  21  in order to improve the chances of the pellet cannon  216 . It is an aspect of the invention that the transducer  222  is placed to detect if fish have swum within an effective proximity of the pellet cannon  216  and, if so, then through processing of the fish locator  224  and controller  226  automatically do the following. It is one aspect of the invention that the controller  226  automatically switch on the stimulus device  228  and/or  228  in combination with  214 . for further being capable of automatically controlling the operations of the harvest apparatus. It is another aspect of the invention that the controller  226  functions like a cannon “fire control,” and discharge the cannon at times chosen to coincide the effectiveness of the harvesting leaping fish, if any. It is a further aspect of the invention, among others still, that the controller  226  automatically controlling the aim of the pellet cannon  216 , either by un-targeted sweeping maneuvers or targeted aims provided by microwave or ultrasonic sensors (not shown) operative in air. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an additional embodiment for apparatus in accordance with the invention to control nuisance carp populations; 
       FIG. 9  shows the harvest station  110  of  FIGS. 2 through 4  but not stationary as before but now mobile as being towed behind a motorized watercraft. The pilot of the watercraft has the option of towing the harvest station  110  behind him or her wherever he or she wishes, depending upon the most areas with the most-expected highest concentrations of the nuisance carp. 
       FIG. 10  shows a harvest apparatus  310  comparable to apparatus  110  of  FIGS. 2 through 4  and  9  except having a web spanning between the two pontoon comprising a fish-zapping electrified grill, something like a bug zapping device. 
       FIG. 11  shows a further embodiment for apparatus  410  in accordance with the invention to control nuisance carp populations. This apparatus  410  is a combination of a wall of jets  416  that not only deliver a debilitating blast to the leaping fish but also knock them into a nearby collecting barge  430 . The jets can be blasts of water (pumped from the waterway itself), air, or perhaps flame or pyrotechnic devices (the latter which might more knock the fish into the collecting barge  430  by concussion than anything else). 
     Whereas  FIG. 11  is a side view, the vertical column of jets  416  is preferably arrayed in multiple columns (all but the nearside column hidden from view), to present a virtual wall of jets  416  to hurl the fish against a backstop on the collecting barge  430  for collection in the hold of the barge  430  thereafter. 
     The barge  430 &#39;s backstop is shown being provided with a rinse of pumped water to make it slick and improve the effectiveness at allowing the stopped fish at sliding down into the hold of the collecting barge  430 . 
     The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed.