NEWS

Good future for offshore fish farming

Stephen Divers, the managing director of fish farm equipment supplier Fusion Marine, will tell a major conference on offshore aquaculture that sea cages made from tough high density polyethylene (HDPE) will play a major role in ensuring the successful development of the offshore fish farming sector.

He will tell the Offshore Mariculture 2006 conference being held in Malta this October that Fusion Marine has already had considerable success in developing open sea cage farming systems.

“Based on years of experience and close consultation with fish farmers in many countries, we have continued to develop our range of cages that have the strength and versatility to cope with extremely tough sea conditions,” he will say.

For example, Fusion Marine Oceanflex 315 and Triton 450 plastic cages have been used to great effect in exposed offshore sites such as in Chile, the South Pacific, North Atlantic and the Mediterranean region.

Some farms in these sites have encountered maximum wind speeds of 110 to 16okm/hr and wave heights up to seven metres. The intrinsic cage strength combined with equally strong nets and mooring systems have well and truly proven their durability in such locations.

Speaking before the conference, Mr Divers said: “Suitable plastic HDPE surface cages for suitable open sea locations offer many advantages over alternative offshore farming systems. These include ease of production and maintenance and lower operational costs than the newly emerging submersible technology.”

Surface cages are also much more versatile than other offshore farming systems – for example tuna cages can easily be towed to collect fish from the capture vessel and then moved back to the farm site. This ease of movement is also ideal for harvesting and management procedures for fish such as salmon and bream.  

“Such cage systems are also extremely tough with the flexible nature of the plastic enabling the cages to absorb huge forces of energy,” adds Stephen Divers.

“Offshore fish farming has a good future and offers many environmental benefits. It offers higher oxygen levels and better sanitary conditions for fish, with waste dispersal being much more efficient. This is why Fusion Marine will continue to develop its technology to the meet the future requirements of the global aquaculture industry.”