[54] AQUACULTURE REARING SYSTEM
[75] Inventor: Paul W. Chapman, Derry, N.H.
[73] Assignee: Sanders Associates, Inc., Nashua,
N.H.
[21] Appl. No.: 232,922
[22] Filed: Feb. 9, 1981
Related U.S. Application Data
[60] Continuation of Ser. No. 99,364, Dec. 3, 1979, abandoned, which is a division of Ser. No. 918,886, Jun. 26, 1978, Pat. No. 4,198,924.
[51] Int. CM A01K 63/00
[52] U.S. CI 119/2
[58] Field of Search 119/2, 3, 4, 18
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
3,565,043 2/1971 Carmouche 119/2
3,727,579 4/1973 Lee 119/2
3,741,159 6/1973 Halaunbrenner 119/2
3,765,374 10/1973 Kolste 119/18
3,815,546 6/1974 Plante 119/2
3,916,834 11/1975 Buss 119/3
4,007,709 2/1977 Wishner 119/2
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Louis Etlinger; Richard I. Seligman
[57] ABSTRACT
An aquaculture rearing system for improving space utilization and yield is disclosed in which clustered, vertical rearing tanks are provided with individual stacked habitats in the form of baskets attached to a strongback member which houses a removable feeding rod, in which the baskets are quickly detachable through the use of interlocking detents and in which nestable baskets are utilized for different sized animals. Progressive space increments to match growth are provided by two different size baskets and removable dividers. Overflow water is skimmed by a skimmer which surrounds the entire top of each tank to prevent bacteriologic contamination of the water within the tank. The staggered modular mounting produces a tripod-like stability even though each tank has a single leg, and provides visibility and density. An overhead materials handling system is used in which the animals are protected by a fog to prevent gill malfunction. Animal health and growth is monitored by an electronic scanning device which records the amount of food consumed by each animal involved over a period of time and compares performance with predetermined standards.
Primary Examiner—Hugh R. Chamblee
12 Claims, 18 Drawing Figures
