jaybee
06-08-2003, 04:15 PM
Is this reply on sunaqua site due to the power of the people??
July 2003
At this point in time, the majority of global sea cage aquaculture is carried out in semi-exposed to sheltered site. Sheltered sites are defined as sites which experience seas less than 3 metres. The SunAqua site is regarded as semi-exposed.
The remainder should be categorized as offshore developmental projects. These projects are generally being fostered and supported by Governments and are actively encouraged in those countries where suitable semi-exposed/inshore growing areas do not exist, such as Ireland and the US.
There are cages that can withstand the storm conditions (eg, Farmocean, Dunlop, Bridgestone, Oceanspar), however the vital ancillary activities such as feeding, net maintenance, fish harvesting etc, have not been appropriately resolved. These issues will be resolved in the future but it will require a very large R&D spend. Such a fact was alluded to when the Aquaculture Manager of Net Systems/Ocean Spar Technologies, Langley Gace, made a presentation to the World Aquaculture Conference in Brazil in May 2003. The following is an abstract of that speech.
For the past 10 years Ocean Spar Technologies LLC in a joint venture with Net Systems INC have been developing submersible cages for the offshore aquaculture industry. Farms using the Sea Station 3000 cage have been established throughout the world. Each farm has had to deal with both common and unique challenges.
A submersible cage on its own can not be the complete solution to the profitable future of offshore farming. The farmer must have the appropriate infrastructure to stock, grade, harvest, and clean the cage efficiently. Automatic feeders, applying the successful engineering principles of Sea Station, need to be utilized to truly make offshore fish farming successful. Net Systems and Ocean Spar technologies have also demonstrated that it is not enough to simply take conventional fish farming equipment, whether cages, feeders or some structure, and place it offshore.
Boats have to be designed to transport feed, fish and people safely, to and from the site…. Simply sinking traditional cages that perform badly in strong currents does not appear to be the solution either. Submerged Sea Station cages have to withstand strong currents on a daily basis. Such is the case in Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, China, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Sites where little current is experienced, such as Hawaii, are a rarity.
Net Sytems and Ocean Spar Technologies are addressing many of these issues now and will continue to do so in the coming years…and are designing complementary infrastructure to make the …reliable rewards of offshore fish farming a reality.
Some specific comments from around the world :
IRELAND
The companies in Ireland (eg Fanad) have had significant government/EU funding to move cage culture offshore. This has come about due to limited inshore growout areas, water temperatures, user conflict (eg shellfish growers) and negative attitudes from green groups intent on closing the industry down completely.
Our information is that growth rates are low and that there are unacceptable risks and high costs associated with farming on the high seas environment.
A useful website is www.irishskipper.net/cgi-bin/news/archives.cgi?category=2&view=8-01
HAWAII
Hawaii has one submerged Oceanspar cage on test, funded by the US government.
In a recent report on this experiment, it was stated that
“ the overall feed conversion ratio offshore (2.4) was higher than that achieved in onshore tanks (1.3 ±0.1) at the end of the trial. Overall recovery of fish offshore (57.5%) was lower than that achieved onshore (90.2 ±0.5%) owing largely to unaccounted losses”.
Reference: Offshore Culture of the Pacific Threadfin Polydactylus sexfilis in Hawaii: Results of the Hawaii Offshore Aquaculture Research Project (HOARP) Phase II
Anthony C. Ostrowski et al
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
Offshore sea cage farming in these regions is part of a government funded research program, and is still very much in the research phase.
“New technology is being tested this summer in the Gulf of Mexico that will hopefully lead to the creation of a sustainable, environmentally friendly open ocean aquaculture industry. A team of researchers, government agencies and private companies - from nine states - make up the regional Gulf of Mexico Offshore Aquaculture Consortium (OAC) which is engaged in a multi-year research endeavor to test the waters of the Gulf for such an industry. The Gulf of Mexico project is part of a series of scientific research projects funded and coordinated by NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program 13 states and territories”.
Reference sites include:
http://www.seagrantnews.org/
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/?id=TIPS0722.SGP
NORWAY
Advice received from a leading Norwegian farmer, Jan Gjovik (July 2003):
We do not have the technology to support high seas farming yet. Norway has plenty of protected sites with excellent water exchange - why bother with development of unnecessary technology?
It is true that there has been a general movement from the bottom of fiords out to the coast, in order to avoid poor water movement. But we still need protection from storms and big waves. The rule of thumb is still 1 m significant wave exposure, i.e. not more than 1m 90% of the time. The farm structure itself can take larger waves, perhaps as high as 7 m, but the service breaks (feeding, maintenance, supervision) are prohibitive with respect to utilising high seas sites.
SPAIN & LIBYA
Offshore cage culture in these areas is focused on tuna fattening. The cages are exposed to storms but not 12m waves. The tuna are fed by hand fresh/frozen fish and the returns are high enough to justify this archaic and unacceptable feeding method. Bass and bream farms along the Spanish coast all have a certain degree of land protection from prevailing storm weather.
Reference sites include:
http://www.rhms-libya.com/fishfr/fishfr.htm
AUSTRALIA - PISCES
The Pisces site off Pt Stephens falls into the exposed category although it has some protection from the southerly weather. Pisces uses polar circle cages, and has experienced storm activity that has deformed these cages. In fact, it is our understanding that one cage even overturned. As well as the damage to the cages, fish have escaped, and the project has suffered as a consequence.
July 2003
At this point in time, the majority of global sea cage aquaculture is carried out in semi-exposed to sheltered site. Sheltered sites are defined as sites which experience seas less than 3 metres. The SunAqua site is regarded as semi-exposed.
The remainder should be categorized as offshore developmental projects. These projects are generally being fostered and supported by Governments and are actively encouraged in those countries where suitable semi-exposed/inshore growing areas do not exist, such as Ireland and the US.
There are cages that can withstand the storm conditions (eg, Farmocean, Dunlop, Bridgestone, Oceanspar), however the vital ancillary activities such as feeding, net maintenance, fish harvesting etc, have not been appropriately resolved. These issues will be resolved in the future but it will require a very large R&D spend. Such a fact was alluded to when the Aquaculture Manager of Net Systems/Ocean Spar Technologies, Langley Gace, made a presentation to the World Aquaculture Conference in Brazil in May 2003. The following is an abstract of that speech.
For the past 10 years Ocean Spar Technologies LLC in a joint venture with Net Systems INC have been developing submersible cages for the offshore aquaculture industry. Farms using the Sea Station 3000 cage have been established throughout the world. Each farm has had to deal with both common and unique challenges.
A submersible cage on its own can not be the complete solution to the profitable future of offshore farming. The farmer must have the appropriate infrastructure to stock, grade, harvest, and clean the cage efficiently. Automatic feeders, applying the successful engineering principles of Sea Station, need to be utilized to truly make offshore fish farming successful. Net Systems and Ocean Spar technologies have also demonstrated that it is not enough to simply take conventional fish farming equipment, whether cages, feeders or some structure, and place it offshore.
Boats have to be designed to transport feed, fish and people safely, to and from the site…. Simply sinking traditional cages that perform badly in strong currents does not appear to be the solution either. Submerged Sea Station cages have to withstand strong currents on a daily basis. Such is the case in Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, China, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Sites where little current is experienced, such as Hawaii, are a rarity.
Net Sytems and Ocean Spar Technologies are addressing many of these issues now and will continue to do so in the coming years…and are designing complementary infrastructure to make the …reliable rewards of offshore fish farming a reality.
Some specific comments from around the world :
IRELAND
The companies in Ireland (eg Fanad) have had significant government/EU funding to move cage culture offshore. This has come about due to limited inshore growout areas, water temperatures, user conflict (eg shellfish growers) and negative attitudes from green groups intent on closing the industry down completely.
Our information is that growth rates are low and that there are unacceptable risks and high costs associated with farming on the high seas environment.
A useful website is www.irishskipper.net/cgi-bin/news/archives.cgi?category=2&view=8-01
HAWAII
Hawaii has one submerged Oceanspar cage on test, funded by the US government.
In a recent report on this experiment, it was stated that
“ the overall feed conversion ratio offshore (2.4) was higher than that achieved in onshore tanks (1.3 ±0.1) at the end of the trial. Overall recovery of fish offshore (57.5%) was lower than that achieved onshore (90.2 ±0.5%) owing largely to unaccounted losses”.
Reference: Offshore Culture of the Pacific Threadfin Polydactylus sexfilis in Hawaii: Results of the Hawaii Offshore Aquaculture Research Project (HOARP) Phase II
Anthony C. Ostrowski et al
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
Offshore sea cage farming in these regions is part of a government funded research program, and is still very much in the research phase.
“New technology is being tested this summer in the Gulf of Mexico that will hopefully lead to the creation of a sustainable, environmentally friendly open ocean aquaculture industry. A team of researchers, government agencies and private companies - from nine states - make up the regional Gulf of Mexico Offshore Aquaculture Consortium (OAC) which is engaged in a multi-year research endeavor to test the waters of the Gulf for such an industry. The Gulf of Mexico project is part of a series of scientific research projects funded and coordinated by NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program 13 states and territories”.
Reference sites include:
http://www.seagrantnews.org/
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/?id=TIPS0722.SGP
NORWAY
Advice received from a leading Norwegian farmer, Jan Gjovik (July 2003):
We do not have the technology to support high seas farming yet. Norway has plenty of protected sites with excellent water exchange - why bother with development of unnecessary technology?
It is true that there has been a general movement from the bottom of fiords out to the coast, in order to avoid poor water movement. But we still need protection from storms and big waves. The rule of thumb is still 1 m significant wave exposure, i.e. not more than 1m 90% of the time. The farm structure itself can take larger waves, perhaps as high as 7 m, but the service breaks (feeding, maintenance, supervision) are prohibitive with respect to utilising high seas sites.
SPAIN & LIBYA
Offshore cage culture in these areas is focused on tuna fattening. The cages are exposed to storms but not 12m waves. The tuna are fed by hand fresh/frozen fish and the returns are high enough to justify this archaic and unacceptable feeding method. Bass and bream farms along the Spanish coast all have a certain degree of land protection from prevailing storm weather.
Reference sites include:
http://www.rhms-libya.com/fishfr/fishfr.htm
AUSTRALIA - PISCES
The Pisces site off Pt Stephens falls into the exposed category although it has some protection from the southerly weather. Pisces uses polar circle cages, and has experienced storm activity that has deformed these cages. In fact, it is our understanding that one cage even overturned. As well as the damage to the cages, fish have escaped, and the project has suffered as a consequence.