Australia's SeaFisher fish farming system consists of 12 cubic cages anchored to the seabed, capable of sinking to a depth of 20 meters to provide safety during storms.
The SeaFisher system consists of 12 floating fish cages near the water's surface when the waves aren't too high. Photo: University of Queensland
A research team led by Professor Chien Ming Wang at the University of Queensland and Professor Joerg Baumeister at Griffith University has developed SeaFisher, an offshore fish farming system that can withstand storms, New Atlas reported on March 7. The project was commissioned by the Australian Centre for Green Economy Cooperative Research. The new research was published in the journal Marine Science and Engineering.
Each SeaFisher system is 120 meters long and consists of 12 cubic polyester mesh cages arranged in two rows. The cage frames are made from lightweight, high-density polyethylene tubes linked together. The entire system is held in place by a seabed anchor at the front, which is the only connection point to the seabed. This allows the SeaFisher to continuously rotate around the anchor to always follow the direction of the waves. A shield at the front helps deflect incoming debris.
If the waves aren't too big, the SeaFisher will remain near the surface. But when the weather starts to worsen, water is pumped into the system's polyethylene pipes. This process allows the SeaFisher to sink to a maximum depth of 20 meters and remain there to safely weather the storm. The cages have netting on top, so the fish will remain inside the cages while the SeaFisher sinks. When the storm subsides, the water is pumped out of the pipes, allowing the system to float again.
The team of scientists is currently testing small-scale prototypes, after which they will build full-sized prototypes. Each SeaFisher system is estimated to cost around $6 million, lower than many current offshore fish farms. The research team hopes the system will have a relatively short payback period.
"We estimate that each cubic cage can hold about 24,000 adult fish weighing 5 kg each. The system can be used to raise multiple fish species side-by-side, and can even be adapted to grow seaweed, utilizing waste from the fish cages to provide nutrients for the plants," Wang said.
Thu Thao (According to New Atlas )
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