Cole Krivak and 3 OthersBrendan Bailey Zephyros Koyanis David Giffin+Privacy: Public
Brendan, David & Z
Ropeless Lobster Trap
Our project is a buoy that fisherman can attach to an existing lobster trap to be stored underwater until a specified deployment time. While similar systems exist, they can be extremely expensive, cumbersome, and difficult to use.
Project Statement
Why
Of the 370 surviving North Atlantic Right Whales, 85% have been entangled at some point in their lives. The most common causes include lobster trap ropes and unidentified ropes. There are laws being put in place to try to conserve right whale populations. The lobstering industry is being forced to use ropeless trap systems that cost $1,000 minimum; our project aims to bridge the gap
Precedents
Conceptual, technical, and visual
Precedent 1:
Name: ARC-1XD Acoustic Release & STM-3 Deck Box
Creator: Desert Star Systems
Precedent 2:
Name: Offshore Lift
Creator: LiftLabs, a part of Dassault Systems
Precedent 3:
Name: Ropeless RISER
Creator: Ropeless Systems
Research
Conceptual, technical, and visual
“If you suggest ropless gear, and have never hauled traps in a trawl string set-up around other trawl strings, you are effing ignorant and should shut your face.”
“FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!! Every time a whale dies, every published picture of a whale tangled in a rope, garners MILLIONS of dollars for CONSERVATION LAW FOUNDATION'S executive salaries.”
“Talk about a SPECIAL KIND OF STUPID, Ropeless Lobstering Gear that depends upon Cell Phone Service????”
“Not only is cell phone signal a problem. Knowing where other lobstermens strings are so you don’t set over them is another. Goes to show the people dreaming this stuff up have little to no time on deck.”
“No lobsterman that I know would agree to a map to show where ALLL there gear is. That is like playing poker and showing everyone your cards.”
“Don’t make a case for “ropeless” being a good idea ever. If this gets forced on the industry it will more or less kill it. Very bad news this stuff is”
“I was reading that the idea to prevent setting over up gear is to have the fishermen mark on a shared chart where they are fishing gear.
Sure, right after I post the combo to my safe online.”
“will take most sport and commercial folks out at 1,000-2,000$ a trap”
“So the retail price will be high and the guys spending all the money on the gear will make less...”
“Ropeless is a scam. As always follow the money, the people pushing this are invested financially in this technology.”
“For the people asking they have proposed a common database that will show where traps are on some sort of chart but will hide individual fishermens info. Its just stupid, we will all have to buy new electronics n addition to this technology which I have worked with in a previous job. There will be lots more ghost gear.”
“Even with ropes people have set on my traps or fouled the lines, with our currents the buoys tend to be a ways away from the trap, and of course everyone wants to set their traps "near" my buoys because obviously I know what I am doing.. “