A Simple Device for Retrieving Instruments or Traps Set Under Ice

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Authors: Busdosh, M., Manning, A. E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1977
• Subjects: General Medicine; Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f77-324; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f77-324

Recovery of instruments or traps suspended under ice is often difficult because refreezing at the circumference of the hole decreases the hole diameter to less than trap diameter, and freezes around the attached line. Line freezing can be reduced by suspending the instrument from the center of the hole. A device consisting of two lengths of wood hinged together, with recurved nails at the lower end can then be used to catch and recover the instrument line through an adjacent hole. These procedures reduce retrieval time by two thirds, and eliminate the damage to instruments or trapped animals that often occurs during recovery. The device can be easily made or repaired on site. Key words: under-ice sampling, under-ice trapping, instrument recovery, arctic