Mechanical Scrubber for Aquaculture Netting

The U.S. is suffering from a $10billion and growing trade offset in fisheries products, with the majority of these products coming from farmed sources abroad. Several limiting factors exist that are inhibiting the growth of aquaculture in developed nations like the U.S., one of which is the efficiency at which farms in developed nations need to operate at to maintain profitability. One of the major expenses in the aquaculture business is the ability of a farmer to keep netting clean on cages. Clean nets promote better water flow, and a healthier stock than fouled nets. Current solutions to the problem are both inefficient and expensive. This project provides a solution to this problem, through a novel, mechanical cleaning approach. The main deliverable in this project will be a scrubbing machine that mechanically removes fouling from netting surfaces in aquaculture applications. Phase I was completed and yielded positive results that will continue into the Phase II effort. A more comprehensive study, with focus on design for manufacturing and refining the Phase I design will be complete. A marketable, final design, ready for Phase III investment and manufacturing, will be complete at the end of Phase II.