Chinese First Deep Sea Net Cage

Editor/Mohamed Shihab

Chinese first deep sea net cage automatic bait casting system with absolute independent intellectual property rights was developed in South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute (SCSFRI). This was a sign to show that deep sea aquiculture equipments in China has entered international advanced level, and China has have the ability of industrial production of deep-sea aquiculture. It was another important equipment achievement after the development of anti wind and storm deep sea net cage in 2002. It had positive effect on the development of deep sea aquiculture in China and it has significant meaning for China and even the world to realize automatic management of land-based aquiculture.

This system was totally independently developed in China. Compared with foreign counterparts, it had the advantages as such: 28% lower in power, touch screen easier for fishermen to operate, more economic and practical, 47% of the foreign counterparts in cost, with progress in producing technique, the price would fall 1/3 in future. The whole equipment was made of 316 stainless steel with higher anti-corrosion; low air pressure pneumatic had more reliable transportation performance, remote control was better than foreign counterparts.

Deep sea net cage automatic bait casting system met the requirement of Chinese social economy, oceanic conditions and off shore deep sea net cage aquiculture cluster management equipment, integrating with electrical and mechanical engineering, environmental technology, culture technique and computer technique, effectively resolving off shore deep sea aquiculture cluster management, fix-point baiting, demand assignment, long-range transmission and other difficult problems, it made breakthrough in analog control, multi channel distribution and aerodynamics, brought change the traditional net cage techniques and laid foundation to digital aquiculture.

Deep sea net cage automatic bait casting system was made of baiting casting sector, auto control sector, multi channel distribution sector, spray casting sector, energy providing sector, it realized artificially, automatically and remote control. The operation interface was touch screen, clear and direct. The ordinary workers could operate it by seeing pictures. It was also controlled through computers and remote control. The baiting was set by time, quantity, speed and target, so it would be fixed at time, place and quantity. The automatic system had further expansion function; it would process breeding species, environmental influencing factors, and oceanic conditions to realize accurate breeding. The fish food distribution system had the ability of extending from 12 ways to 24 ways, highly save the producing and management cost. The whole system would be made of anti-corrosion materials and was suitable for open oceanic conditions operation.

The success of automatic baiting system would effectively promote the deep water net cage to deep sea net cage, the net capacity would be two times that of the present capacity, the unit water fish production would reach 26kg/m3, while the feed coefficient would reduce 20-40%, the fish growth rate would 20% faster than before; the national net cage production would improve highly. The cultivation would transfer from traditional mode to industrial mode.