SBIR-STTR Award

Net cleaning and maintenance represent a significant cost in the aquaculture industry. Clean nets are essential in maintaining a healthy stock, and achieving optimal yield. Fouled nets also generate drag, and the dirtier the net, the higher the loading on moored structures in the farm, which could lead to failures. However, few options exist that are truly efficient in terms of their consumption of power, labor, or massive capital investment. This project proposes a mechanical scrubber that will clean netting efficiently, thereby drastically lowering operating costs, and increasing margins for the farmer. Efficiency is especially important in the development of the aquaculture industry in the U.S. because of increased competition with products farmed in developing nations with lower labor costs. The U.S. has a ~$10 billion trade offset, and is becoming increasingly reliant on foreign seafood (FAO, 2008). The accountability of these foreign supplies is often suspect as well. A growing and accountable domestic aquaculture industry would increase food safety and security. However, due to high labor costs, advancements in technology, as proposed in this project, will be necessary to make this industry successful. Deliverables in this project include a comprehensive design report, prototype testing, and a working prototype at the end of Phase I. Phase II will include the construction of more robust prototype units, with more robust control systems for pilot study testing at aquaculture facilities.

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.