An apparatus and method for fishing by trawling operation with a substantial reduction in the amount of energy needed to be used by the fishing vessel for the operation, including providing a conventional type trawl fishing net with a flexible but normally flaccid hose structure around the mouth opening, providing said structure with means for pressurization of said normally flaccid hose in order to make same rigid, and thus open the fishing net mouth to its normal open configuration, and providing a high pressure retention and release valve between the pressurization pump and the flexible hose structure for maintaining the hose in the pressurized state during the fishing operation, and permitting the release of the pressurization in order to close the net mouth opening prior to bringing the fishing net back aboard the fishing vessel.

An inflatable rope comprises three layers, a bladder, a sheath, and a fitted, perforated plastic bag to keep the inflatable rope in a compressed form. The compressed form can be hurled through the air at great distance to a person overboard. The inflatable rope can be inflated to a size that eases the ability of the person, who has lost dexterity in frigid water, to hold on to it for rescuing.

Improvements on the Parra "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING DOLPHIN FROM TUNA" using the primordial fear of dolphin of killer whales to separate dolphin from tuna wherein the sound of feeding killer whale is recorded, digitized, edited and enhanced to produce digitally synthesized killer whale sounds. These digitally synthesized sounds of one or more feeding killer whale is played under water and in the vicinity of a mixed school of dolphin and tuna and as the dolphin leave said vicinity, catching the tuna in nets. According to the present invention, one or more of a plurality of playback units are selectively triggered on and off from a remote location to steer the dolphin to safety. The playback unit is carried in an elongated hollow tube having a weighted end and a recovery end, the weight causing the end it is on to go to a predetermined depth in the sea with the recovery end having a hook for aerial retrieval. In one embodiment, the playback unit is in the form of a killer whale sonic grenade and a pressure sensor senses a predetermined depth and activates the playback unit.

A weedless turtle exclusion device which excludes turtles and like sized things from trawl nets and the like, while allowing the desired catch therethrough. A deflector, through which the catch passes en route to the net's tail bag or codend is situated between optional spacer rings in the trawling net and comprises a circular frame angularly affixed to the internal walls of the net's chute. Situated at upstream connection points are parallel deflection bars, running from the upstream connection points toward the downstream side of the frame. The bars are spaced allowing passage of the desired catch, e.g., shrimp, while narrow enough to deflect the larger turtles. They are unconnected on their downstream side and angled about five to thirty-five (5-35) degrees relative to the frame, forming an opening between their downstream end and the frame. In operation (FIG. 4) the catch and turtles are directed into the trawl via a large mouth opening into the chute area. The catch passes unhindered while the larger turtles are deflected off of the angled deflection bars and through a trap door out of the net. Seaweed, etc., under the action of the water current, passes through the chute, coming into contact with the deflection bars and normally wrapping around them. Due to the bars' configuration the water current forces the seaweed to slide down and off them passing through the opening, freeing the seaweed from the deflector and preventing clogging.