FR2511846A1 - Marine animal rearing farm - has inflatable casings in horizontal circular buoy with arms supplying water - Google Patents

Abstract

The marine animal rearing farm is particularly for fish in open water, and comprises a combined floating buoy and pole (1), on which inflatable casings (5) are mounted. The casings are arranged round the buoy in the same horizontal plane, and joined to it by arms (6), in which passages are formed for water circulation. In plan view, the casings can be circular, and connected to the arms at their centres, while they can be supplied with water in a tangental direction in relation to their periphery.

Description

 The present invention relates to a farm for breeding marine animals, in particular open water and in particular for fish, comprising a floating pole buoy on which inflatable enclosures are mounted.

 Such a farm is already known from French patent No. 77 15220.

 In this patent the inflatable enclosures are distributed one above the other from top to bottom of the pole.

 This arrangement may however have drawbacks in certain cases. Thus it requires a very high pole and this farm can only be installed in areas with sufficient depth. Furthermore, if these trusses are to be placed in areas where a variable current is truncated, they must be spaced sufficiently apart from each other to allow them to rotate so that the speakers remain downstream of the pole in the direction of the current.

 The present invention aims to provide a breeding farm better suited to these relatively shallow water conditions or areas where variable currents prevail.

 To this end, the subject of the invention is a farm of marine animals, in particular open water, and in particular of fish, comprising a floating boom buoy on which inflatable enclosures are mounted, characterized in that the enclosures are distributed around the boom buoy. substantially in the same horizontal plane and that they are connected to the boom buoy by arms in which are formed conduits for the circulation of water.

 Because the enclosures are in the same horizontal plane the draft of the breeding farm according to the invention is significantly reduced. In addition, the distribution of the speakers around the pole makes the truss substantially symmetrical around the axis of the pole so that the currents do not influence its orientation.

 In a preferred embodiment the enclosures are of circular plan shape and they are connected to the arm substantially at their center.

 The speakers are then supplied with water tangentially at their periphery.

 Advantageously, the enclosures are of substantially toroidal shape, the escape of water being carried out at their central part.

Particular embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a side view partially in section of a farm for breeding marine animals according to the invention,
Figure 2 is a. sectional view along line II-II of FIG. 1 and,
Figure 3 is a sectional view of a particular embodiment of an enclosure for a farm according to the invention.

 The farm shown in Figures 1 and 2 firstly includes a boom buoy 1 which may include, for example at its upper part of the technical and living quarters 2 and at its middle part of the tanks 3 for animal feed, the fresh water, fuel, buoyancy ballasts, etc ...

The lower part of the buoy 1 finally includes a ballast 4.

 In the present embodiment, the buoy is equipped with five breeding enclosures 5 which may, for example, be of the type which will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 and are arranged regularly around the boom buoy 1 to which they are connected by link arms 6.

 Of course, the boom buoy is also connected to anchoring devices.

 The inflatable breeding enclosure shown in FIG. 3 is made of a flexible and waterproof plastic material which is resistant to the marine environment and to the mechanical forces generated by pressure, currents and swell.

 This enclosure is of substantially toroidal shape and is connected to its boom buoy by means of an arm 6 as described above. The arms 6 are connected to the enclosure 5 in the central zone thereof.

 The arm 6 comprises two conduits for the circulation of water, an inlet conduit 7 and an outlet conduit 8 which in their terminal zone of connection with the enclosure 5 are coaxial, the inlet conduit being arranged around the conduit of departure.

 'The inlet duct 7 opens into an annular distribution chamber 9 formed at the lower part of the enclosure 5 around its central orifice. From this distribution chamber 9, two supply conduits 10 leave in the direction of the periphery of the enclosure 5 inside which they open by nozzles 11. The water supply to the enclosure 5 by the nozzles 11 preferably takes place tangentially at its periphery.

 The central part of the enclosure 5 is closed by a cylindrical grid 12, the openings of which are adjustable. This grid 12 can for example be produced in the form of orientable flaps.

 The cylinder formed by the grid 12 receives at its lower part the starting duct 8 and is provided at its upper part with a valve 13.

 In addition, a locking device 14 has been provided between the arm 6 and the enclosure 5 as well as a valve 15 in the duct 8 near its connection with the cylindrical grid 12.

 In normal operation, the supply of clean water possibly supplemented with food is carried out from the boom buoy via the inlet pipe 7.

 The grid 12 is then adjusted so that its openings are insufficient to allow the fish to pass, the valve 15 is closed to avoid a return of water to the boom buoy and the valve 13 is open to allow the evacuation of the waste water.

 When, on the contrary, it is desired to recover the fish, the openings of the grid 12 are enlarged, the valve 13 is closed and the valve 15 is open. Thus the current of water caused by a suction established in the starting conduit 8 causes the fish to cross the grid 12 and then to engage in the conduit 8 towards the pole buoy where they are recovered.

 Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above to which various variants and modifications can be made without departing from its scope or its spirit.

Claims (5)

 1. Farm for breeding marine animals, in particular open water and in particular for fish, comprising a floating perch buoy (1) on which are mounted spinnerable inflatable enclosures (5), characterized in that the enclosures are distributed around of the boom-buoy substantially in the same horizontal plane, and that they are connected to the boom-buoy by arms (6) in which are formed conduits for the circulation of water.  2. Farm according to claim 1, characterized in that the enclosures are of circular plan shape and which are connected to the arms substantially in their center.  3. Farm according to claim 2, characterized in that the water supply to the enclosures is carried out tangentially at their periphery.  4. Farm according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the enclosures are of substantially toroidal shape, the water escaping taking place in their central part.  5. Farm according to claim 4, characterized in that said central part is made by a conduit to the buoy-boom, and by a valve in the outside environment.