NEWS
Immense potential for offshore fish farming with surface cages
With much attention
recently being focused on the potential of using submersible systems
for offshore aquaculture operations, fish farm equipment supplier
Fusion Marine has underlined the tremendous and still untapped potential
that exists for surface or gravity cages in such demanding environments.
Speaking at
the recent 'Farming the Deep Blue' conference in Ireland, Fusion
Marine's Iain Forbes and Mauricio Vivar from its Chile operation
outlined the success the company has had in developing offshore
cage farming systems using polyethylene (HDPE) base pipes.
"Plastic
cages offer many advantages such as ease of production and maintenance,
and lower operational costs than submersible technology," he
said.
Fusion Marine's
durable Oceanflex 315 and Triton 450 plastic cages have already
been used to great effect in exposed offshore sites such as in Chile,
where there is considerable economic potential in these systems.
For example one farm in Chile with 18 cages of 110m circumference
and a 20m deep net produces 7,000 tonnes of salmon.
| "Plastic
cages offer many advantages such as ease of production and maintenance,
and lower operational costs than submersible technology,"
Iain Forbes said. |
Offshore tuna
farming in areas such as Malta is another area where these cages
have been used with great success.
Farms in these
exposed sites can expect to encounter maximum wind speeds of 110
to 160km/hr and wave heights up to seven metres.
"The strength
of these plastic cages relies on Fusion Marine's unique base units
design along with the base pipes and other structural components,
which all complement each other," said Mr Forbes.
He added: "Offshore
fish farming has a good future and has many environmental benefits.
It offers higher oxygen levels and better sanitary conditions for
fish, with waste dispersal being much more efficient. There is also
less conflict with other marine users."
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