Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K61/00—Culture of aquatic animals
  • A01K61/60—Floating cultivation devices, e.g. rafts or floating fish-farms
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
  • Y02A40/80—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in fisheries management
  • Y02A40/81—Aquaculture, e.g. of fish

Definitions

• Cod fish which is captured for feeding and stocking as live fish may suffer from a blown up swimming bladder This is a required condition when fishing
• the cod's swimming bladder may however be restored to its original state if the fish is allowed to rest on a flat surface for one or two days
• the cod then becomes pelagic and can be transferred to an "ordinary" fish cage
• Flat-bottom cages with a liftable and lowerable base and a fish pen which rests on the base allow offshore fish-farming with all the operational advantages which this has to offer compared to onshore fish farming in tanks or ponds
• the possibility of lifting the base of the cage or of the fish pen to a level which allows people to walk on the bottom renders the tasks of tending, controlling and sorting the fish easy and effective
• Patent NO-303 313 describes a solution consisting of a flat-bottom fish cage comprising a trampoline base which forms a flat support for the fish pen
• the trampoline base is obtained with the help of an outer circular bottom ring and an inner stay ring while, concentric with these, a center ring is provided Between these rings, stays are provided to keep the structure stretched and create the trampoline base on which the fish pen rests
• the center ring is part of a tensioning system for the net bottom, such system consisting of a base ring closer to the sea bed and rigidly fixed to the center ring with the help of rods
• stays are provided between the bottom ring and the base ring
• the bottom ring is attached to a floating ring with the help of wires (stays or slide rods)
• the fish pen is fastened to the floating ring and is sliding vertically along the wires so that it is possible to lift and lower the fish pen relative to the floating ring, thus making the bottom of the pen vertically displaceable in the water
• the center tensioning device for the base net is also too complicated to be of any practical utility.
• the trampoline base and its tensioning mechanism are too complex and costly to manufacture.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a flat-bottom floating fish cage system which is less complicated to operate and to use with regard to tending the fish and cleaning the cage.
• Figure 1 illustrates the complete floating cage with floating ring, base and fish pen.
• Figure 2 is a horizontal view of the base ring with the centre tank.
• Figure 3 shows a vertical section of the base ring with the centre tank.
• Figure 4 illustrates the base attached to the floating rings.
• the floating cage system consists of floating rings 1 , a base 2 with between these vertical slide rods 3 and wires 4. Inside this framework defined by the said components, and resting on the base 2, is a fish pen 5.
• the base 2 functions as a support for the fish pen 5 and contributes to shaping it such as to obtain a flat bottom.
• the base 2 must be taut enough for people to walk on it.
• Figure 2 illustrates how the base 2 may be shaped.
• An outer frame for the base 2 is provided by a base ring 6 which is polygonal. From each angle 7 of the polygon and stretching to a centre point 8 on a centre tank 9 are top stays 10 which can be stretched in order to obtain the necessary base for the fish pen 5.
• the centre tank 9 is positioned vertically and is fastened from the bottom points 1 1 of the centre tank 9. closest to the sea bed. to the base ring 6 with the help of base stays 12.
• the centre tank 9 acts as an anchor point for the stays 10, 12 and contributes to obtaining a taut base 2
• An optional arrangement would be for the stays 10, 12 to be attached in the centre somewhat off the centre tank 9, for instance to a ring- or cylinder-shaped element, the centre tank 9 being positioned inside such an element
• the centre tank 9 may be partly filled with water and air or gas to the required quantities to obtain additional buoyancy
• the quantities required are controlled by valves and a control device placed on floating units on the floating rings or in their vicinity
• the slide rods 3 are fixed to the floating ⁇ ngs 1 and are anchored at their lower extremity close to the base 2 with mooring blocks 13
• the slide rods 3 run through a first set of loops 14 fastened to the periphery of the base ring 6, and through a second set of loops 15 which are fixed vertically along the fish pen 5 Between the loops 15 floats 16 are provided, these being threaded on the slide rods
• Wires 4 are fixed to the floating rings 1 and to the base ring 6 and are also fastened to the fish pen 5 in several places between the floating rings 1 and the base 2, in a manner similar to the slide rods 3
• the base 2 is lifted by filling the centre tank 9 with a sufficient quantity of air As the base 2 lifts, so does the fish pen 5 rising towards the floating rings 1 assisted by the buoyancy effect of the floats 16
• the quantity of air filled in the centre tank 9 can be such that, when the base 2 rises to for instance 0,5 to 1,0 m below the floating rings 1, it reaches a ponderal equilibrium and the fish farmers can walk on the base 2 in order to carry out their tasks
• the wires 4 are provided with tension reducing devices 17 to reduce the hydrodynamic effect of the waves
• the slide rods 3 reduce the hydrodynamic effect of the waves by moving vertically in the loops 14
• any combination of slide rods 3 and of wires 4 may be chosen, for instance both types alternating all around, or all elements may be of the same type

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Marine Sciences & Fisheries (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Animal Husbandry (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Farming Of Fish And Shellfish (AREA)
• Biological Treatment Of Waste Water (AREA)
• Types And Forms Of Lifts (AREA)
• Surgical Instruments (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=19902954

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (7)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (6)

• 1999
  • 1999-02-12 NO NO19990660A patent/NO311062B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2000
  • 2000-02-09 EP EP00905474A patent/EP1158852A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2000-02-09 WO PCT/NO2000/000048 patent/WO2000049858A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2000-02-09 AU AU27008/00A patent/AU2700800A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2000-02-09 CA CA002362859A patent/CA2362859A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (6)

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