US007165502B2

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 7,165,502 B2

Pedersen et a1. (45) Date of Patent: Jan. 23, 2007

(54) TRAWLING VESSEL WITH A LOCK 3633 35/18 (2006.01)

CHAMBER 3633 35/26 (2006.01)
3633 21/66 (2006.01)
(75) Inventors: Roar Pedersen; AAlesund (NO); (52) us. Cl. ............................. .. 114/255; 43/8; 43/91;
Havard Rosvik; Trondheim (NO); 114/ 253
Birger Enerhaug; Ranheim (NO); (58) Field of Classi?cation Search .............. .. 114/255;
Snorre Angel]; Trondheim (NO); 114/253; 254; 43/45; 6.5*9.95
Oddmar Saure; Saebo (NO); Svein See application ?le for complete search history.
Helge Gjosund; Trondheim (NO) (56) References Cited
(73) Assignees: Sintef Fiskeri havbruk AS; Trondheim U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
(NO); Fiskerstrand Verft AS;
Fiskarstrand (NO); Rolls Royce Marine 6,138,397 A 10/2000 Hammersland et a1.
AS; Aslesund (NO)
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer; the term of this DE 89769 12/1896
patent is extended or adjusted under 35
U.S.C. 154(b) by 92 days.
(Continued)
Primary ExamineriAjay Vasudeva
(21) Appl. No.: 10/501,480 (74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmiBirch; Stewart; Kolasch &
(22) PCT Filed: Jan. 16, 2003 Birch; LLP

(86) PCT No.: PCT/NO03/00014 (57) ABSTRACT

371 (O0) A trawling vessel is provided With a traWl net (5) for
(2); (4) Date: Jul. 14, 2004 catching marine bio-resources; With a traWl sack (3) attached
aft on a traWl net (5) for keeping the catch. The vessel
(87) PCT Pub. No.: WO03/059731 comprises lines (51; 61) for toWing and hauling the traWl net
(5); and traWl drums (6) for hauling the traWl net (5). A lock
PCT Pub. Date: Jul. 24, 2003 chamber (1) is provided in a stem (21) of the vessel and has
a main portion of its volume arranged beloW the design
(65) Prior Publication Data
Water line of the vessel. The lock chamber (1) is arranged for
US 2005/0087119 A1 Apr. 28; 2005 hauling the traWl sack (3) With the catch from the sea
through a sluiceWay (2) in the stem (21); for discharging the
(30) F0leigll Application Priority Data traWl sack (3); and for temporarily keeping the catch. Atrunk
Jan 16 2002 (NO) 20020247 channel (16; 12) leading up from the lock chamber (1)
Au 7 2002 (NO) """""""""""""""" " 20023747 enables the traWl sack (3); in a generally discharged state; to
' """""""""""""""" " be hauled up through the trunk channel (16; 12) to a deck
(51) Int_ CL (24); thereby leaving the catch in the lock chamber (1).
A01K 73/02 (2006.01)
B63B 35/16 (2006.01) 28 Claims, 17 Drawing Sheets

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Page 2

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS SU 622713 A * 7/1978

SU 772916 B * 10/1980
839164 C 5/1952 SU 1244009 A * 7/1986
0 467 003 A1 1/1992 SU 1681800 A1 * 10/1991
1555437 A 11/1979 WO WO-8100664 A1 3/1981
94 493 6/1959
551220 A * 5/1977 * cited by examiner
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1 2
TRAWLING VESSEL WITH A LOCK
CHAMBER
The invention relates to a trawler. More speci?cally, the
invention relates to hauling a traWl sack or so-called cod
en so that the catch is brought on board to the traWler in
a gentle Way, both for the traWl sack, and for the catch.
KNOWN ART
During ordinary traWling, a traWl system comprises toW
ing Wires, traWl doors or paravanes for spreading the front
end of the traWl net, sWeep Wires, and traWl. The traWl
comprises a funnel-shaped traWl net ending in a traWl sack
or cod end that collects the ?sh. The traWl system is toWed
until indicators attached to the traWl sack indicate that a
desired amount of ?sh has entered the traWl sack. The traWl
system is then taken in by hauling the toWing Wire until the
traWl doors have entered their positions in their traWl door
galloWs arranged on either side of the vessels stem. The
traWl doors are disconnected and the traWl net is hauled in
after the sWeep Wires by means of separate Winches. The
traWl net is hauled in on deck or on a drum, until the traWl
sack has come entirely up onto the traWl slipWay Which is
arranged in the vessels stern in order to facilitate hauling of
the heavy traWl sack out of the Water and on board onto the
deck. In order to get the traWl sack up along the slipWay and
onto the deck, a heavy rope of synthetic material or a Wire
is attached to the sack, Where after it is hauled in onto the
deck Where it is opened and discharged. This is the all over
dominating Way of traWl ?shing.
By the stem end and the top of the traWl slipWay the traWl
sack containing the ?sh catch must pass an edge at the stem
and an edge toWard the traWl deck, correspondingly, both
Where the traWl sack is consecutively kinked over the edge
When it is hauled in. Simultaneously, the pitching of the
vessel Will incur that the stern moves up and doWn and
incurs cyclic pressure increase and pressure decrease
toWards the underside of the traWl sack. These stretch and
bending forces acting on the traWl sack, and the pressure
forces induced by the oWn Weight of the ?sh toWards the
underlying part of the catch, particularly by large hauls, e.g.
larger than 40 tons, may incur that particularly the loWer
lying part of the catch is squeezed so that intestines come
out, and the cells of the ?sh muscular tissue and blood
vessels may also be crushed, blood coming out into the
muscular tissue. This reduces the quality and the value of a
part of the catch and may incur a reduced grade rating of
parts of the catch to loWer rating, and also incurring a
considerable sorting Work. The squeezing and crushing of
?sh, and particularly of intestines, requires a thorough
cleanup of the traWl sack and the traWl deck after each
hauling.
Some vessel arrangements exist in Which this problem is
reduced. One solution used during large catches is to bring
the traWl sack adjacent to the vessel so that one may pump
the ?sh catch on board by means of a ?sh pump. This
requires the vessel to remain stationary until the traWl sack
is discharged, thus the vessel cannot run With a neW traWl in
the sea before the traWl sack adjacent to the hull has been
discharged.
One solution on this problem is presented by NorWegian
patent NO 94493 from 1959 granted to engineer Nils
Johannes Liaaen from Aalesund, NorWay, in Which is
arranged a frame or extension at the stem end of the traWl
slipWay, in Which the frame constitutes an aperture above the
Waterline such that a traWl sack or a purse net may be held
in a suf?ciently expanded position for a scoop net from a
crane may be loWered into the net and discharge the traWl
sacks contents of ?sh over to the traWlers cargo compart
ment. This solution incurs rather sloW discharging of the
traWl sack and also a stationary vessel during the discharge
of the traWl sack.
NorWegian patent 153 212 granted in 1986 to G. R.
Delclilford, based on the international patent application
PCT/AU80/00068, describes a traWler vessel in Which a
small traWl is spanned in front of the vessel, With spikes
constituted by forWard extending inclined rods. The traWl
nets rear end constitutes a funnel leading into a longitudi
nally running continuous tunnel through the vessel in Which
Water and ?sh passes, but in Which the ?sh is driven up from
the tunnel to the deck by means of a conveyor elevator
Which lets through the Water horizontally but Which does not
let pass the ?sh above a certain size and transports it up to
the deck.
20 German patent publication DE89769 to William Adam,
Scotland, granted by the Kaiserliches Patentamt in 1896,
describes also a traWler using an ahead running traWl net
leading into the boW of the trailing vessel. The traWl net is
toWed by tWo separate auxiliary tender vessels (Wheel
25
propulsion steamers), Which are running several hundred
meters ahead of the traWler and pulls each their extended
traWl Wire. The ?sh ?oWs freely into a chamber having an
upWard inclining strainer plate Which lets the Water pass
doWn and through the strainer plate and out of the vessel,
30 and the ?sh is forced up along the strainer plate until it hits
a conveyor belt elevator lifting the ?sh out of the Water and
up to a deck. Such a solution presented in DE 89769 Will
inevitably Work best in good Weather, but hardly during the
more prevailing sea states at sea, e.g. along NeWfoundland,
35
in the North Atlantic, in the NorWegian Sea, or in the Barents
Sea.
British Patent GB 1 555 437 A ?shing vessel especially
suitable for ?shing in icebound Waters, granted, describes
a traWler having a narroW, longitudinal recess from the stern
40
and extending in a forWard direction a desired length along
the vessels centre axis, so that in fact tWo parallel extending
narroW stems are formed on the vessel. In the forWard end
of the recess that is betWeen the tWo stems is arranged a
traWl slipWay for hauling a traWl net and traWl sack. The
45
traWl slipWay may be ?xed or made for tilting about a hinge
at its forWard edge.
There is a need in the ?shing industry to have a traWler
and a realistic traWling method Which facilitates hauling and
50 prevents crushing of the catch, and Which is ef?cient also in
harsh Weather, eg in the NorWegian Sea, The Barents Sea,
In Alaska, and in other seas With harsh Weather conditions.
Reducing the damage to the catch could reduce unnecessary
over?shing of the ?sh resources and also improve the overall
55 quality of the catch. Several of the above mentioned patents
Would not actually Work in normal bad Weather With irregu
lar Waves having Wave height H around 7 meters and a catch
of about 50 to 100 tons.
60 SHORT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is an improvement relative to the men
tioned vessels and their Ways of traWl ?shing, and is a
traWling vessel for use With a traWl net for catching marine
65 bio-resources, With a traWl sack attached aft on a traWl net
for keeping the catch, said vessel comprising lines for
toWing and hauling said traWl net and traWl drums for