Offshore Spar Based Fish Feeder

As fish farmers attempt to increase capacity, they are being forced to more exposed growing sites. The technology for rearing fish in this high-energy environment is dependent on robust fish pens and the infrastructure to support them. One very important technology that must be developed is an automated feeding system capable of operating in this difficult environment.Using already proven ¿spar technology,¿ Net Systems and co investigators, Environmental Technologies and the University of New Hampshire, intend to demonstrate the feasibility of a spar based semi-autonomous feeder. This feeder would have the sea keeping, mooring, automation and remote control capabilities to feed submerged fish pens and allow offshore fish farming to move to the next level. Proving the feasibility of such a system would allow Net Systems and Environmental Technologies to pursue Phase 2 funding to produce a working prototype to be tested at the University of New Hampshire¿s offshore farm site.