This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 60/122,545 filed Mar. 2, 1999

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to the field of fishing. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of commercial fishing and commercial fisheries management. More particularly still, the present invention relates to gathering, recording, analyzing, and reporting of data in the field of commercial fishing and commercial fisheries management.

2. Prior Art

Since ancient times, the pursuit of fishing has paid no heed to “the one that got away,” except in tavern tales and sea-faring novels. This traditional mindset persists today. Among fishermen, from solitary anglers to operators of commercial fishing vessels, the “catch”—those fish that are actually brought back—is the only thing that is ever accurately identified, sorted, counted, and recorded. Information is rarely kept, and more rarely reported, about fish that had been trapped, hooked, or netted, and then thrown back for being the wrong size, the wrong species, or in the wrong condition (such as egg-bearing females of certain species). As a result, information that could be noted by individual fishermen, and that might even be of great benefit to those same individual fishermen, as well as to the fishing industry as a whole, is customarily lost simply as a matter of standard practice. In general, there is currently no reliable “catch and release data” relative to the fishing industry from fishermen and no currently practical means of obtaining such data.

Further, information about where fish are caught, whether they are kept or released, is also traditionally held close. The location of an angler's fishing hole and a fishing boat captain's fishing ground have been given the status of trade secrets since time immemorial.

There were and are good reasons, grounded in competition for sport and for commercial purposes, for keeping secrets. From these rational concerns the traditions and standard practices of fishing have evolved. To a large extent, also, there have been practical reasons for fishermen not to take accurate note of details—in particular catch, release, and location data—having no immediate importance to them, while they are in the heat of battle with the sea, the weather, the wildlife, and the passage of time. Although some fishermen may write down some of this information, such notes are almost always kept in secret. The result of traditional secretiveness and standard practice among fishermen, however, is the loss of accurate information about fish stocks and the condition of fishing grounds. This remains so even in the present period, a time of dwindling stocks and endangered fishing grounds, when such information, if kept and used by an individual fisherman, could be used to increase the efficiency and profitability of that fisherman's own commercial enterprise. On a larger scale, the aggregation of such information is of vital importance to the effective management of fisheries and to the health and the very survival of the fishing industry. Nevertheless, the tradition of secrecy coupled with a mistrust of the ability of government agencies to manage fisheries, keeps such information from being effectively gathered. Furthermore, this mistrust of government regulation and management manifests itself in the reticence among fishermen to cooperate with the information-gathering efforts of government regulators and their agencies—such as regulation-mandated random spot-checks of individual fishing operations.

Currently, information is general and uncertain about fish stocks and the condition of fishing grounds as a whole, about the health and abundance (or lack of it) of the many commercial varieties, of their location in abundance or deficit, of their migration patterns, and of their breeding patterns, seasons, and efficiencies. The gathering of most of this vital information currently falls almost exclusively to a few public inspectors and private researchers. In states that support and control the fishing industry, state governments attempt to provide, within budgetary constraints, the inspection of and reporting on fishing operations and on the condition of fishing grounds and of fish stocks through variously named “departments of marine resources.” From time to time, this information may be augmented by the efforts of non-governmental fishing organizations—e.g., the FAO, which is part of the United Nations—and by the necessarily narrow interests of academic or institutional researchers. Currently, the limited data collected by these means, and the analysis of such data, form the sole basis of governmental regulation of the fishing industry. The trouble is that, relative to the size of the industry and the volume of information necessary to form the basis of valid judgments, the number of persons collecting such information is small, making the accumulation of a statistically significant volume of fishery-related data difficult or, arguably, impossible.

For example, the State of Maine currently depends on part-time volunteers, a few paid inspectors (primarily seeing catches as they are brought to port), and academic researchers for the gathering of information relative to lobster fishing, an industry carried on in Maine by as many as 6,000 fishing vessels operating over thousands of square miles in the Gulf of Maine. The fact that vessels are not generally available to these few information gatherers for their own use limits their effectiveness. Thus, these volunteers—and occasionally government-employed inspectors—usually operate aboard the vessels of commercial fishermen who, because of longstanding and growing mistrust of inspectors and regulators, may offer less than full cooperation and candor, and may even give misleading responses to inquiries. Further, even when such an information-gathering effort is augmented by that of institutional researchers, the additional information that can be applied specifically to the analysis of particular fish stocks in particular fishing grounds is meager because the focus of the research by these institutions often does not provide information that is useful for the commercial fishing industry. The resulting paucity of data is a contributing factor in the development of guidelines and policies that are generally not accepted by fishermen.

What is needed is a practical method for gathering fishery-industry-related data. What is further needed is such a method that is employable by an individual commercial fisherman at sea. What is yet further needed is such a method that will gather data from many individual fishermen, combine the data to a single fishery-related database, and generate reports useful to the commercial fishing industry. What is still yet further needed is such a method that will hold confidential certain data provided by an individual fisherman and provide the individual fisherman with confidential reports useful to the fisherman's enterprise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a practical method for gathering fishery-industry-related data. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a method that is employable by an individual commercial fisherman at sea. It is a yet further object to provide such a method that will gather data from many individual fishermen, combine the data to a single fishery-industry-related database, and generate reports useful to the commercial fishing industry. It is a still yet further object to provide such a method that will hold confidential certain data provided by an individual fisherman and to provide the individual fisherman with confidential reports useful to the fisherman's enterprise.

The individual fisherman making use of the method of the present invention brings a data-collection-and-storage-device with him on-board, generally on his commercial fishing vessel. The data-collection-and-storage-device can be of any type that is suitable for entering and storing data collected by fishermen, and can include general data input and storage devices and voice-recognition input devices that are direct-wired to or connected via radio transmission to a data storage device. Preferably, though, the data collector is individualized in a way set out below. Although just a simple counting and storage device of a type easily designed by those familiar with the art, the datallection-and-storage-device is designed to facilitate the entry of the data that is important to the particular fishing industry in which it is to be used. In addition to accepting and storing data about fish caught—including those subsequently released—as nets, lines, traps, and the like, are hauled in, the data-collection-and-storage-device associates each set of catch-and-release data in its memory with the location of the vessel at the date and time the data was entered. The location of the vessel is best defined by a longitude/latitude specification. A number of conventional navigational systems and the like that provide location in terms of longitude and latitude can be tied into the data collector for this purpose. The artificial-earth-satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) is the system in general use at present that lends itself most conveniently to this function. Most fishing vessels are already equipped with GPS instruments, and it is a straightforward matter to tie the output of such instruments to the data collector of the present invention for the stated purpose. LORAN may also be used to determine vessel location, as long as the vessel is close enough to land to receive a signal.

The data-collection-and-storage-device is initialized at the first power-up, meaning that information is entered relating to the fisherman using the device, the particular vessel, and the type of fishing engaged in. This information is maintained in the device until it is intentionally changed by the user of the device. During a fishing excursion, the data-collection-and-storage-device is used to record all catch-and-release data. In particular, the device records each catch and each release and the reason for a release, such as the catch is the wrong size, the wrong species, and/or in the wrong condition—e.g., egg-bearing females, where such restrictions apply. In the Preferred Embodiment, to facilitate recording the releases, the data-collection-and-storage-device is especially adapted to, if not specially fabricated for, each particular kind of fishing and for each particular target specie or set of species. Additional data may also be recorded, depending upon the opportunities available in a particular commercial fishing operation. Additional data that may be automatically recorded by or manually entered into the device include water temperature, water depth, weather conditions, water salinity, water currents, and tide phase. It is, of course, possible to use general data input and storage devices and the appropriate software to adapt the data collection means so as to facilitate data input for the fishing industry or a particular type of fishing activity. Thus, it is understood that it is within the scope of the present invention to use any type of data-collection-and-storage-device that is suitable for data collection according to the method of the present invention.

At the end of a fishing excursion, the fisherman transfers the contents of the data-collection-and-storage-device to a central data repository, either directly or via a receiving station. The receiving station is a computer that holds the data for transfer to the central data repository at a later time and, for the fisherman, the procedure of transferring data is the same, whether to a receiving station or to the central data repository. In practical terms, the central data repository is a computer incorporating software applications for the manipulation and analysis of data and the production of desired reports. It also incorporates provisions for data security. The method of transfer, whether to a receiving station or the central data repository, is usually by telephone line and is such that the proprietary nature of each data contribution can be respected and the confidentiality of the data source (the identity of the individual fisherman) ensured. To maintain confidentiality, the data can be encrypted during the transfer and the data records related to each particular source (fisherman) can be stored in individually secure files. The data source may also remain encrypted in the central data repository.

Certain data can be deemed to be proprietary to the individual fisherman—such as location of catch and sales revenues—and the analysis of that data as it accumulates over time, and be made available only to the individual fisherman who was the source of the data. The particular reports that can be returned periodically to each fisherman about that fisherman's catches can also include information needed for reporting to regulatory agencies. Indeed, the mandated reports themselves may be directly generated by the central data repository, and, by agreement, even filed on behalf of the fisherman. A variety of confidential reports may be generated for the fisherman, such as: reports for business accounting; accumulated historical reports about the individual's customary fishing grounds related to such factors as time, place, and the types and/or species of fish found; and analyses of the efficiency of traps, nets, and lines, related to the bait used, the location, and the season. Further, these reports may be provided as textual reports, graphs, or mapping data, or in any format useful to a particular fisherman. The value of such reports—in providing reports required by regulatory agencies as well as valuable information from which to hone a more efficient and profitable enterprise—furnishes sufficient motivation for individual fishermen to act as data sources that feed an aggregate fishery-related database.

Fishery-related information is that information that is placed in an aggregation data pool in the central data repository. Such information can be stripped of its source identification so that it anonymously combines all such data gathered from all sources about a wide variety of fishing methods and fish species, if it necessary to hold certain fisherman data confidential. In this aggregation data pool, data provided by fishermen may also be combined with data contributed by regulatory agencies and research institutions. The resulting data pool is on so large a scale that individual fishermen data, including their favorite fishing grounds, are not identifiable. In any event, the aggregate of data so collected is large enough, and of sufficient detail, to form statistically significant data samples on which to base public policy and industry practices related to the regulation, management, and use of the fisheries as a whole. The method of the present invention thus envisions the use of this data pool for both routine and custom generation of reports, in formats and contents appropriate to the needs of those agencies and institutions who seek to manage fisheries and set commercial fishing policies and practices. In this way, the present invention allows those individual fisherman directly affected by fishing regulations to participate directly in providing the informational basis of those regulations.

Various agencies and institutions have access to the general fishery-related data pool, although it is possible that an authorized agency would have sole access to the data and would manage and analyze the data and prepare reports for the regulatory agencies, the institutions, and the individual fishermen. It is also possible that, rather than maintaining confidential accounts for the individual fishermen, the fishermen would relinquish their claim to confidentiality and release all data, i.e. data not stripped of source identification, to the general fishery-related data pool for regulatory purposes.

Briefly, then, the method of the present invention includes the following steps: An individual fisherman embarking upon a fishing excursion brings on-board a data-collection-and-storage-device that has been initialized with data identifying the fisherman and the vessel. During the excursion, concurrent with each catch being taken aboard, the fisherman enters into the data-collection-and-storage-device data about the catch, including the number of each type or variety of fish kept, the number of each type or variety of fish released, and the reason for the release. The location of the catch, the time and date of the catch are attached to the data by the data-collection-and-storage-device. Other relevant physical and environmental conditions during the catch can be manually entered by the fisherman or automatically recorded by the data-collection-and-storage-device. The record of each catch is stored in the data-collection-and-storage-device and the collection of stored data is held there until the fisherman transfers the data to a receiving station or a central data repository. This is typically done after the fisherman returns to shore, via a telephone link, but may also be done from any location, provided the means to link to the receiving station or central data repository are available. The fisherman's data is encrypted during the transfer to ensure confidentiality. In the Preferred Embodiment, two effective copies of the data are made and maintained in the central data repository: a fisherman copy and an agency copy. The fisherman copy is placed into and held in an individually secure fisherman account that contains only the specific records deposited by an individually identified fisherman. Further, the means of identifying the owner of such individually secure accounts is itself encoded, and not directly accessible, in the data records. The agency copy is stripped of its fisherman-identifying component and stored in a logically or physically separate area of the central data repository. This“stripped” data is integrated into a composite, fishery-wide database containing all of the fishery-related data for all of the individual data contributions. In the secure portion of the central data repository, data in each confidentially-maintained account is separately manipulated and analyzed, and reports are generated that are returned exclusively to the fisherman who contributed the data. These reports include reports required by regulatory agencies, business and accounting reports, and reports related to the efficiency of the fisherman's fishing operations and methods. In the composite, fishery-wide database, where the security of specific records is still generally maintained, the combined, accumulated data from all sources is separately manipulated and analyzed, and reports of aggregate raw data, as well as analysis of the data, are made available to regulatory agencies and public or private institutions engaged or interested in the regulation and management of fisheries. In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the individual fisherman relinquishes a claim to confidentiality and releases individual fisherman data directly into the aggregation, fishery-wide database.

While the Preferred Embodiment below describes an application of the method of the present invention to one type of commercial fishing, the generality of the method should not be overlooked. Also, where a particular device suited to that one type of commercial fishing is described in the Preferred Embodiment, other analogous devices better suited to others types of commercial fishing are not dispensed with.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a drawing the data-collection-and-storage-device showing the operating buttons, the display, the connectors used for connecting to external devices and systems, and the mounting-clip hasp.

FIG. 2

is a block diagram of the electrical structure of the data-collection-and-storage-device.

FIG. 3

is a flow chart showing the logical operation of the microprocessor-controlled operating system contained in software or firmware of the data-collection-and-storage-device.

FIG. 4

is a diagram of the data structure of records collected by operation of the data-collection-and-storage-device and stored in its memory.

FIG. 5

is a drawing showing a lobsterman operating the data storage and collection device to collect and store catch data from his lobster traps.

FIG. 6

is a drawing of the data-collection-and-storage-device in use for data transfer to the central processing device.

FIG. 7

is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the central processing device and of the distribution of reports.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The Preferred Embodiment of the present invention relates to lobster fishing. Just as almost all fishing is now strictly regulated, lobstering along the northeast coast of the United States is currently subject to a set of regulatory restrictions limiting the times and places of fishing and, in particular, specifying by size, type, and condition the lobster that may and may not be harvested. Although the rules vary with jurisdiction, they generally include restrictions on lobsters that are too small to be harvested, lobsters that are too large to be harvested, and on females bearing eggs or identified as having borne eggs—referred to as “v-notched females.” (Current regulations mandate that lobstermen cut a v-notch into the tail of any egg-bearing female lobster caught and then release it, thenceforth identifying that lobster as a proven breeder.)

Setting out to harvest the catch of his traps, the lobsterman brings a data-collection-and-storage-device designed specifically for lobstering to facilitate data entry and to keep the device as simple as possible (see FIG.

1

). The components of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

are housed in a rugged, weather-sealed case

2

. The data-collection-and-storage-device

1

may have an affixable cover or carrying case. The working surface

3

of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

contains a display area

4

, typically a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a set of six buttons

100

, including a set of four counting buttons

200

grouped in a row, a count reset button

9

, and a data-entry button

10

. The four counting buttons

200

include an undersize counter button

5

, a legal-size counter button

6

, an oversize counter button

7

, and a v-notched-female counter button

8

, each of the buttons being marked to identify its function. (Note that, although the primary function of these buttons is to count the number of lobster caught, these buttons also have functions unrelated to these markings, depending on the operating mode of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

.) As a practical matter, each of the set of six buttons

100

is large so that it can be manipulated by gloved hands under unstable conditions at sea. In addition, all of the set of six buttons

100

and the display area

4

are lighted in order to be read under low-light conditions. In an alternative embodiment, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

would also include a number keypad (not shown).

In the Preferred Embodiment, as shown in

FIG. 1

, three connectors are located on one of the exterior lateral surfaces of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

: a power connector

11

, a telephone connector

12

(typically, a standard telephone jack), and a GPS connector

13

(typically, a multi-pin D-type connector). In an alternative embodiment a LORAN navigational system, rather than a GPS system, can be used to provide the necessary navigational data. In that case, connector

13

can be used to connect the data-collection-and-storage device

1

to a LORAN system. Additional connectors may be provided for connection to, and receiving input from, other on-board sensing devices such as water depth and water temperature sensors. Likewise, additional buttons may be provided to allow manual input of such additional data. The data-collection-and-storage-device

1

also has a pair of mounting-clip hasps

14

mounted on opposite sides of the rugged, weather-sealed case

2

with which to secure the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to a mounting bracket

58

(

FIG. 5

) that is attached to the boat structure so as to prevent loss of the data-collection-and-storage device

1

in rough seas.

As is shown schematically in

FIG. 2

, in the Preferred Embodiment four category buttons

200

are electrically connected internally to inputs of four counters

300

. An undersize category button

5

is connected to an undersize counter

15

, a legal-size category button

6

to a legal-size counter

16

, an oversize category button

7

to an oversize counter

17

, and a v-notched-female category button

8

to a v-notched-female counter

18

. Each time one of the four category buttons

200

is pressed, its associated counter is incremented by one. In an alternative embodiment, before pressing one of the category buttons a total count for a category can be entered via a number keypad that is electrically connected to the four counters

300

. In this case, the counter associated with the category button that is pressed is incremented by the count entered on the number keypad.

Referring to FIG.

1

and

FIG. 2

, it can be seen that the four counters

300

are electrically connected to a microprocessor

22

, which is in turn connected to a display component

19

—a display area

4

of which is visible from the exterior of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

on its working surface

3

. The microprocessor

22

uses the display component

19

to display to the operator of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

the current contents of the four counters

300

, as well as status messages, operator-instruction messages, and operator-input prompts, depending on the operational mode of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

. In the Preferred Embodiment, the microprocessor

22

is also connected to the GPS connector

13

, to the data-entry button

10

, to the count-reset button

9

, to the modem

23

, and to a data-storage component

20

, all as shown in FIG.

2

. The data storage component

20

is capable of storing a number of trap-haul sub-records

400

that are contained in a catch-and-release record

29

, as is shown in FIG.

4

. The operating instructions for the microprocessor

22

are contained in replaceable or electrically updatable firmware.

Referring again to

FIG. 2

, in the Preferred Embodiment the power connector

11

is electrically connected to the four counters

300

, the set of six buttons

100

, the display component

19

, the microprocessor

22

, and the data-storage component

20

, to distribute power from an external source for the operation of these components. If a number keypad is incorporated into the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

, it will also be connected to the power connector

11

. In addition, the internal battery

24

is electrically connected to the data-storage component

20

to supply power sufficient to maintain the stored data in memory while data-collection-and-storage-device

1

is not connected to an external power source. The memory of the data-storage component

20

is divided into three areas and is shown in FIG.

2

: an operator-related record area

25

, in which, although able to be updated, the data is maintained effectively for the life of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

, a catch-record area

26

, in which the data of the catch-and-release record

29

is stored (see FIG.

4

), and a data buffer

27

which records data periodically sent via the connection to the on-board GPS unit

51

(see FIG.

5

). In an alternative embodiment, the data buffer

27

can record data sent periodically via a connection to a LORAN system.

GPS systems found on board fishing vessels commonly use the NMEA-0183 data communications standard. Under this standard, the GPS system determines and sends a time-stamped location every few seconds (typically 1 to 5 seconds). The time stamp gives the date and time of the message in Universal Time. When, according to the Preferred Embodiment, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

is connected to a GPS system, the GPS data buffer

27

will always contain the last time-stamped location data sent by the GPS system.

FIG. 3

shows the logical operation of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

according to the operating instructions of the microprocessor

22

.

FIG. 4

shows the data structure of the data stored in the data storage component

20

. As seen in

FIG. 3

, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

has three operational modes that may be either automatically selected or manually selected. On the first power-up

41

of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

, the self-test

42

determines that the operator-identification data

31

(

FIG. 4

) are missing from an operator-related record

28

and automatically selects the operator-data entry mode

800

. The operator-related record

28

is made up of device-identification data

30

, which are stored when the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

is manufactured, and operator-identification data

31

. In the initial operator-data entry mode

800

, the operator enters operator/boat identification data and the telephone number that will be used by the modem

23

(

FIG. 2

) to connect to the central data repository

500

(see FIG.

6

and FIG.

7

), as well as fish species data and a local time off-set from Universal Time (formerly GMT). The initializing data, once entered, is the default information and the device will not prompt for entry of this data unless a specific command to change this data is entered. Operator input is accomplished, as noted above, using the set of six buttons

100

shown in

FIG. 1

) according to written instructions and by following messages and prompts displayed on the display area

4

(

FIG. 1

) of the display component

19

(FIG.

2

).

When the self-test

42

determines during power up

41

that the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

of the Preferred Embodiment has no connection to the on-board GPS unit

51

(FIG.

5

)—or, in an alternative embodiment, has no connection to a LORAN system—the operator has the option of entering the operator-data entry mode

800

and updating the operator-related record

28

, or of proceeding to the data transfer mode

700

(FIG.

3

). The data transfer mode

700

is described below.

In order to record catch data, a lobsterman

52

must connect the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to the vessel's power-supply

53

and to the on-board GPS unit

51

, as shown in FIG.

5

. In an alternative embodiment, the data-collection-and-storage device

1

must be connected to a LORAN system. In the Preferred Embodiment, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

is preferably installed in that part of the vessel where the traps

54

are hauled aboard. A mounting bracket

58

can be been attached to the boat structure in a convenient area, as illustrated in

FIG. 5

, and the data-collection-and-storage device

1

secured to the mounting bracket

58

by means of mounting clips

59

(not shown) that are mechanically attached to the mounting bracket

58

. The data-collection-and-storage device

1

can be seated in the mounting bracket

58

by means of mounting-clip hasps

14

(shown in FIG.

1

). As each trap

54

is hauled aboard, the lobsterman

52

observes the catch

55

held in the trap

54

, enters data about the catch

55

in that trap

54

into the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

, disposes of the catch

55

(each lobster either into the vessel's hold or back into the sea) and the trap

54

(which is usually re-baited and re-deployed), and hauls the next trap

54

. This procedure is repeated until all traps in a particular location are hauled. In the Preferred Embodiment, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

will also prompt the lobsterman

52

at every nth trap for additional data, such as, carapace length, weight, sex, and/or condition (for example, one or two claws).

Referring now to the flow chart shown in FIG.

3

and the data record structure shown in

FIG. 4

, the Preferred Embodiment of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

performs a self-test

42

upon power-up. If the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

determines during this self-test

42

that the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

is connected to the on-board GPS unit

51

, it automatically selects catch-data entry mode

600

. Each time the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

is powered up in the catch-data entry mode

600

, the microprocessor

22

reads the contents (date, time, and location) of the GPS data buffer

27

(shown in

FIG. 1

) and writes this data into the power-on/start data line

32

as the first line of the trap-haul sub-record

400

. The contents of the four counters

300

are then reset to zero, the zero content of each of the four counters

300

is displayed on the display area

4

of the display component

19

, and the microprocessor

22

enters the idle state

43

and waits for data input or disconnection.

As the lobsterman

52

empties the trap

54

, he enters the content of the catch

55

by pressing the one of the four category buttons

200

once for each one of the type of lobster associated with one of the four category buttons

200

. In the Preferred Embodiment, when the lobsterman

52

presses one of the four category buttons

200

once, the content of the one of the four counters

300

connected to that button is incremented by one, and the updated content of the four counters

300

is displayed on the display area

4

of the display component

19

. Thus, if the lobsterman

52

finds a trap

54

to contain 2 undersize lobster, 1 legal-size lobster, and 1 v-notched-female lobster, the lobsterman

52

presses the undersize category button

5

twice, the legal-size category button

6

once, and the v-notched-female category button

8

once; the resulting contents of the undersize counter

15

, the legal-size counter

16

, the oversize counter

17

, and the v-notched-female counter

18

are

2

,

1

,

0

, and

1

, respectively; and these respective counts are displayed on the display area

4

of the display component

19

. Having emptied the trap

54

and entered the counts of the catch

55

into the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

, the lobsterman

52

presses the data entry button

10

to initiate storage of the data. As an alternative method of entering a count, particularly useful when dealing with a large catch, the lobsterman

52

can sort the lobsters according to the categories that match those of the category buttons

200

, enter the count for each category on the number keypad, press the corresponding category button, and then press the data entry button

10

after the counts for all categories have been entered. In this case, each counter associated with the particular category button that was pressed will increment by the number entered on the number keypad. After pressing the data entry button

10

, the microprocessor

22

reads the contents (date, time, and location) of the GPS data buffer

27

of the data-storage component

20

—the GPS data buffer

27

containing the latest periodic date, time, and location data sent via the connection to the on-board GPS unit

51

—and also reads the contents of the four counters

300

. (In an alternate embodiment that uses a LORAN system, the microprocessor

27

will, instead, read the contents of a data buffer that contains the latest periodic data sent to the data-collection-and-storage device

1

via a LORAN connection.) The microprocessor

22

then links the contents of the GPS data buffer

27

(or, of the LORAN data buffer in an alternative embodiment) to those of the four counters

300

and writes the linked data as a single trap data line

33

onto the next line of the trap-haul sub-record

400

, whereupon the microprocessor

22

displays a confirmation, such as “Count recorded,” on the display area

4

of the display component

19

for a short period of time to allow the confirmation to be seen by the lobsterman

52

. The microprocessor

22

then resets the contents of the four counters

300

to zero, displays the zero content of each of the four counters

300

on the display area

4

, and, finally, the microprocessor

22

re-enters the idle state

43

and waits for data input or disconnection.

In the Preferred Embodiment, the lobsterman

52

repeats this process of hauling aboard a trap

54

, counting the number of each type of lobster in the catch

55

in that trap

54

into the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

, entering the count data as a single trap data line

33

line in a trap-haul sub-record, resetting the four counters

300

and returning to the idle state

43

, once for each trap

54

of a particular set of traps set in a particular area at sea. Alternatively, the lobsterman

52

hauls several traps aboard, sorts the catch into categories, and then enters the counts for each category, using the number keypad. The internal recording processes of data-collection-and-storage-device remain unchanged when using this method. Also, at any time during the counting of the catch

55

in a particular trap

54

, before pressing the data-entry button

10

, the lobsterman

52

may press the count reset button

9

. Upon detecting that the count reset button

9

has been pressed, the microprocessor

22

resets the contents of the four counters

300

to zero, displays the zero content of each of the four counters

300

on the display area

4

of the display component

19

, and re-enters the idle state

43

and waits for data input or disconnection. No data is written in response to this count-reset operation to the data-storage component

20

. However, the lobsterman

52

may press the data-entry button

10

when the contents of the four counters

300

are all set to zero. By doing this, the lobsterman

52

writes a single trap data line

33

, as described above, to the next line of the current trap-haul sub-record

400

that indicates that the trap

54

just hauled aboard was empty.

When the lobsterman

52

has finished recording the counts of every catch

55

found in every trap

54

of a particular set of traps deployed in a particular fishing location, the lobsterman

52

disconnects the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

from the vessel's power supply outlet

53

. In the Preferred Embodiment, when the microprocessor

22

detects such a loss of power—or loss of power for any reason—the microprocessor

22

uses power from the internal battery

24

of the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to read the time, date, and location data from the GPS data buffer

27

(or, in an alternative embodiment, from the LORAN data buffer) to the next line of the trap-haul sub-record

400

as a power-down/end data line

34

. Ideally, the trap-haul sub-record

400

beginning with the power-on/start data line

32

and ending with the power-down/end data line

34

contains all the single trap data lines

33

for one particular set of traps set in one particular fishing location. However, power loss aboard the vessel may serve to break up the ideal trap-haul sub-record

400

into a series of incomplete records. On the other hand, when such fracturing of the ideal trap-haul sub-record

400

occurs, it is likely that the original trap-haul sub-record

400

can be reassembled by reviewing the pieces of fractured trap-haul sub-records

400

for external factors, for example by reviewing the time and location information from a power-down/end data line

34

and the time and location information from the next following power-on/start data line

32

. By matching times and locations that are close together, it may be possible to determine momentary power losses. Also, if the data was entered trap-by-trap, rather than by sorted categories, the lobsterman

52

may recognize the number of traps that constitute a particular set of traps in a particular fishing location.

The lobsterman

52

repeats the process of counting the catch and entering count data into the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

for each set of traps set at each separate fishing location. Thus, on its return to port, the catch-record area

26

of the data-storage component

20

holds one or more trap-haul sub-records

400

, providing the fisherman over time with information as to profitable catch per fishing location. Upon arrival at port, the lobsterman

52

sells his catch—only the “keepers” he returns with—by the pound, rather than by count.

As illustrated in

FIG. 6

, the lobsterman

52

links the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to the central data repository

500

via a telephone system by inserting a telephone plug

56

(not shown) into the telephone connector

12

on the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

. In the Preferred Embodiment, the telephone plug

56

is a standard plug and the telephone connector

12

a standard telephone jack. In an alternative embodiment, the lobsterman

52

links the data-collection-and-storage device to a receiving station (not shown). Whether the data-collection-and-storage device

1

is linked to the central data repository

500

or to a receiving station, the procedure for transferring the data is the same for the lobsterman

52

. The data-collection-and-storage-device

1

must be connected to an external power source, and disconnected from the navigation system, whether it be the GPS system used in the preferred embodiment, or a LORAN system used in an alternative embodiment. Typically, the telephone connection to the central data repository is made on-shore, from an office, but it can be made from any location that provides access to a telephone system.

Referring to

FIG. 3

, on power up

41

, when the self-test

42

determines that the operator identification data line

31

(

FIG. 4

) is present and the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

is not connected to a GPS or LORAN system, the lobsterman

52

is prompted to select the operator-data entry mode

800

(in order to modify or update the operator-related record

28

) or the data transfer mode

700

. In the Preferred Embodiment, if the data transfer mode

700

is selected, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

checks for the presence of a catch-and release record

29

in the catch-record area

26

of the data-storage device

20

. If the catch-and-release record

29

is not present, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

returns to the decision prompt

40

. If the catch-and-release record

29

is present, prompts appear in the display area

4

of the display component

19

for the lobsterman

52

to enter the number of pounds of lobster brought in and sold (the landed catch), and the dealer to whom the catch was sold. This information is stored in the catch-record area

26

of the data-storage component

20

as the catch-landed data line

35

, the last line of the catch-and-release record

29

.

In the Preferred Embodiment, the lobsterman

52

initiates the data transfer after the catch-sale data has been entered or, in an alternative embodiment, initiates data transfer of the catch-and-release record

29

without entering sale data. The modem

23

, using the telephone number retrieved from the operator-identification data

31

, connects the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to the central data repository

500

. As mentioned earlier, in an alternative embodiment the lobsterman

52

may transfer data to a receiving station instead of transferring directly to the central data repository. For the fisherman, the procedure for transferring data from the data-collection-and-storage device

1

to the central data repository

500

or to a receiving station is the same and reference is made in this description only to data transfer from the data-collection-and-storage device

1

to the central data repository

500

. It shall be understood that, in an alternative embodiment, data can be transferred, in encrypted form, from the data-collection-and-storage device

1

to a receiving station for temporary holding and then, from the receiving station to the central data repository

500

according to the procedure described below. As soon as the telephone connection is established, the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

, responding to signals from the central data repository

500

, first sends the device-identification data

30

, then sends the lobsterman's identification data retrieved from the operator-identification data

31

, and finally proceeds to send, line by line, the catch-and-release record

29

. In the Preferred Embodiment, the data is sent to the central data repository

500

using a secure data-encryption technology, such as

64

-bit encryption, and a checksum is provided for each line of data for verification. As each line of data is received by the central data repository

500

, the verification check is performed. Upon verification, the central data repository

500

signals the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to send the next line of data;

otherwise the central data repository

500

signals the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to re-send the same line of data.

As can be seen in

FIG. 7

, the central data repository

500

is a computer providing for secure storage of data and providing data management software applications to manage and analyze the data. The central data repository

500

of the Preferred Embodiment is divided into two independently secure areas, the fisherman-data area

36

and the aggregate fishery-data area

37

. In turn, the fisherman-data area

36

is made up of a number of independently secure fisherman files

38

, each fisherman file

38

containing the catch-and-release records

29

of an individual lobsterman

52

or other fisherman. The fishery-data area

37

stores the aggregate data of all fish caught and released by all reporting fishermen. In the Preferred Embodiment, data identifying the individual fisherman has been stripped from the fishery-data; in alternative embodiments, the fisherman identifying data may be included in the aggregate data. The central data repository

500

of the Preferred Embodiment receives data from a large number of individual fishermen whose fishing interests vary and, thus, the fishery-data area

37

contains aggregate data from a large sample of fish (not just lobsters) maintained by species, size, type, condition, and by place and time of recording, along with other reported factors.

In the Preferred Embodiment, when a lobsterman

52

sends a catch-and-release record

29

from the data-collection-and-storage-device

1

to the central data repository

500

, the first data items sent are the device-identification data

30

and the operator-identification data

31

. These data are used to route the subsequent catch-and-release record

29

only to the fisherman file

38

of the identified lobsterman

52

. This file already contains information, registered at the time the lobsterman

52

acquired the data-collection-and-storage device

1

, about the lobsterman

52

, such as the location and type of business organization, the type and size of the fishing vessel, and the size of the vessel's crew. In the Preferred Embodiment, upon receipt of a catch-and-release record

29

of a particular lobsterman

52

, the central data repository

500

immediately generates, and delivers to that lobsterman

52

only, the regulatory reports

44

that the lobsterman

52

is required to file with regulatory agencies

45

to report and certify each catch. Optionally, at the request of the lobsterman

52

, the central data repository

500

can simultaneously file the regulatory reports

44

with the appropriate regulatory agencies

45

. Thereafter, the central data repository

500

can send to the lobsterman

52

analytical reports

46

based on the accumulated catch-and-release records

29

sent by that lobsterman

52

only. The analytical reports

46

, which are deliverable in several formats, including numeric, tabular, and graphical, contain information about landed lobster (“keepers”) returned and sold ashore, but also about illegal lobster (undersize, oversize, and breeders) found in the traps

55

and returned to the sea. The analytical reports

46

also contain analysis of lobster population by type (undersize, legal-size, oversize, and breeder), of apparent lobster habitat and possible movement patterns over time, and of trap efficiency per catch over time—a factor generally known as Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE). In addition, the analytical reports

46

may also contain any data analysis that the lobsterman

52

may request or that the central data repository

500

is capable of providing based on the accumulated catch-and-release records

29

of that particular lobsterman

52

.

As the catch-and-release record

29

of the lobsterman

52

is received and stored in a fisherman file

38

, fishery-related data

37

is copied to the accumulated fishery-data area

37

. In the Preferred Embodiment, the fishery-related data

37

is anonymous data, i.e., data pertaining to species, type, time and place of catch, and count and stripped of data that identifies an individual fisherman as the source of the data. In a first alternative embodiment, the data that identifies an individual fisherman can also be included in the data stored in the fishery-related area

37

. Also, access to the data in the central data repository

500

may be restricted to an authorized agency that manages all the data sent to the central data repository

500

and provides reports and data to individual fishermen and to regulatory agencies and institutions as requested and/or required. Over time, a large, statistically valid sample of data about certain marine populations (which can include non-harvested species of marine life as well as the commercially valuable species of shellfish and fish, and other species), species migrations, and fishery conditions is collected in the accumulated fishery-data area

37

. Using this data, the central data repository

500

can generate and provide fishery analysis reports

49

to regulatory agencies

45

, fishery management agencies

47

, and research institutions

48

, including numerical, graphical, and mapping data presentations, as the various regulatory agencies

45

, fishery management agencies

47

, and research institutions

48

may require and benefit from.

It should be understood that the Preferred Embodiment and alternatives thereof mentioned herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. Numerous variations in the use of the present invention may be contemplated in view of the following claims without straying from the intended scope and field of the invention disclosed herein.