#$%^&*AU2017202948A120180920.pdf#####ABSTRACT The invention relates to an apparatus and method for gathering shellfish. Some existing apparatus and methods for gathering shellfish comprise the use of a fishing dredge, the frame of which digs into and is dragged through sand so that shellfish are dislodged and caught in a dredge net. It is a problem that use of a dredge may damage some shellfish when the frame cracks their shells during dredging, may damage a seabed ecosystem, and may catch some undersize shellfish. The invention aims to provide an apparatus and method for gathering shellfish where the apparatus is pulled along the seabed rather than through the sand and where shellfish are gathered when they move out of the sand rather than by a dredge scooping through the sand. The apparatus for gathering shellfish comprises a frame with a trailing net. The frame supports a fan. In use the apparatus is attached to a boat and pulled along the seabed. The activated fan creates a flow of water that disrupts seabed sand causing any buried shellfish to move out of the sand and into the net as the apparatus is pulled along. Undersize shellfish may pass through apertures in the frame and the net may also be sized to allow undersize shellfish to pass through the net.LMI-C- L
