WO1987003170A1

WO1987003170A1 - Floating breeding device

Info

Publication number: WO1987003170A1
Application number: PCT/SE1986/000536
Authority: WO
Inventors: Örjan GÖTMALM
Original assignee: Farmocean Ab
Priority date: 1985-12-02
Filing date: 1986-11-24
Publication date: 1987-06-04
Also published as: SE8505663L; MY100213A; PT83806B; PT83806A; SE8505663D0; SE450866B; NZ218364A; JPS63501542A; CN86107981A; ES2002076A6

Abstract

A floating breeding device for fish or the like and incorporating at least one breeding bag (12), which is carried by a cage (11) equipped with floating bodies, which cage consists of a three dimensional framework, consisting of a number of rods (13) composed to polygones, which rods at the joints (14) are elastically interconnected and that interconnecting struts (15) are provided between at least some of the joints (14).

Description

FLOATING BREEDING DEVICE

The present invention refers to a floating breeding device for fish or the like and incorporating at least one breeding bag, which is carried by a cage equipped with floating bodies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Breeding of fish in open sea or bigger lakes, where the heave of the sea can be considerable, requires floating breeding devices which stand the big strains caused to the device by gale, very heavy sea and underwater currents.

Earlier known cage-shaped breeding devices commonly consist of rigid structures, which, when it concerns very big devices, will be very heavy and unflexible structures, which in the water behave almost like boxes, which are severely subjected to heavy sea. Those rigid cages must be towed to the breeding location, which can be far- to sea. During towing such a cage structure is subjected to big stresses with risk for average.

It is further known breeding devices, the pontoons of which are designed as very coarse rubber tubes from which the breeding bag is suspended. At these designs the breeding bag is neither protected laterally nor shape stable, and it may therefore be deformed by heavy underwater currents so that the volume of the bag is reduced and the fish is forced to the surface .

PURPOSE AND HOST ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF THE INVENTTON

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a floating breeding device, which is constructed thus that it on the very breeding location can be erected, re-erected, e.g. increased or reduced^', dismounted and repaired if required. The structure therefore shall be simple, light and require a minimum of cargo space during transport to the breeding location. The structure, in spite of its comparatively low weight, shall be strong and elastic, whereby it will stand gales and heavy ^' underwater currents without the cage being deformed or damaged. As the breeding of fish up to an age appropriate for killing generally requires several years, such a floating breeding device must be able to be located stationary during this entire time, whereby the requirements on the life span of the construction are very high.

These tasks have been solved in that the cage consists of a three dimensional framework, consisting of a number of rods composed to polygones, which rods at the joints are elastically interconnected and that between at least some of the joints are provided interconnecting struts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention hereinafter will be further described to the accompanying drawings which show an embodiment.

Fig. 1 « shows in perspective the cage of the breeding device according to the invention without breeding bag. ^'

Fig. 2 shows, also in perspective, a portion of the breeding device according to the invention with portions of the breeding bag shown.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a side elevation and a view from above of a joint forming part of the breeding device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

The breeding device according to the invention consists of a cage 11 equipped with floating bodies and at least one breeding bag 12 suspended therein. The cage 11 consists of a three dimensional framework incorporating a plurality of rods 13 composed to polygones, which rods at the corners are elastically interconnected via joints 14 and by a number of struts 15, which interconnect the joints.

In the embodiment shown, the rods 13 are composed to polygones, e.g. quadrangles, which at the same time form the side confinements of the cage. The rods 13 are hollow, i.e. they are tubes closed at their ends, the buoyancy of which tubes is variable in that the tubes can be filled with or emptied of water or air. The vertical tubes 13a of the polygones within the area of the waterline 16 at moulded draft of the cage 11 are formed with an essentially increased buoyancy, i.e. they are formed with an enlarged portion 17 located within the upper third of the vertical tubes 13a. In order to obtain a self-supporting construction the joints 14 within each polygone are interconnected via braces 15a and 15b arranged in the vertical plane, whereas in the top and bottom planes of the cage there are arranged upper radial struts 15c and lower radial struts 15d resp. The radial struts at the centre of the cage in the top and bottom planes resp. are interconnected in a centre attachment 18, which can be a common joint for all radial struts, such as is the case for the lower radial struts or the centre attachment can be a ring or a polygone, such as used at the upper radial strut-s 15c.

Preferably the joints 14 can be made from an elastic material, e.g. an elastomere, reinforced thus that it can absorb even big tensile forces without bursting. The reinforcement 19 preferably can consist of chains embedded in the rubber compound. The attachment to the rods is effected via flange joints 20. The upper joints 14a lack an additional attachment as compared to - the lower joints. 14b, which additional attachment is intended for connection of the anchoring members 21 of the breeding device.

The cage 11 may either be equipped with a continuous breeding bag 12 intended to be suspended within the cage and to be connected to the rods 13 of the cage, whereby the bottom 22 of the bag can rest upon the lower radial struts 15d of the cage, or the breeding bag 12 may consist of a plurality of separate elements formed by flexible or rigid net portions, which are attached to the rods 13, whereby such a net portion can fill the area within a polygone. The bottom structure of the breeding device then can be a completely covering bottom, which can be situated above or below the . radial struts 15d , but it is also possible to use the radial struts as side confinements for net portions fitted between the radial struts and the associated lower horizontal tube 13c.

The rods 13a and 13b are preferably used as floating bodies, whereas the rods 13c at the lower part of the cage are more or less filled with water and serve as sinkers. When the breeding device shall be emptied the water is exchanged for air whereby the entire breeding device will get a successively increasing upward force, which makes possible an emptying or inspection of the contents of the cage.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown but a plurality of variations are possible within the scope of the claims .

Claims

1. _A floating breeding device for fish or the like and incorporating at least one breeding bag (12) , which is carried

05 _by a cage (11) equipped with floating bodies, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, t_hat the cage (11) consists of a three dimensional framework, consisting of a number of rods (13) composed to polygones, which rods at the joints (14) are elastically interconnected

10 and that between at least some of the joints (14) are provided interconnecting struts (15) .

2. A floating breeding device as claimed in claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y,

15 that at least some of the rods (13) are tubular and arranged to serve as floating bodies.

3. A floating breeding device as claimed in claim 2, ^•c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y,

20 th-at the buoyancy of the tubular rods (13) is variable by filling or emptying the free interior volume of the rods with water or air .

4. A floating breeding device as claimed in claim 2 or 3 , 25 c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b , that the rods (13) within the area of the waterline at moulded draft (16) for the breeding device is formed with an essentially increased buoyancy.

30 5. A floating breeding device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, that the anchoring (21 ) for the breeding device is attached to

-^*N the lower joints (14b) of the cage (11) .

35

6. A floating breeding device as claimed in c_laim ₅, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, that the joints (14) consist of an elastic material, e.g. an elastomere, provided with an reinforcement (19) adapted to take up the tensile forces from the rods (13) as well as from the struts (15) , and e.g. designed as embedded chains.

7. A floating breeding device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, that the bottom (22) of the breeding bag (12) is arranged to rest upon struts ( 15d ) forming the bottom of the cage.

8. A floating breeding device as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e b y, that net portions are arranged in the areas limited by the rods (13) and/or the struts (15) , which net portions together form at least parts of the breeding bag (12).