Priya PatelTLDR:
- The University of Queensland has developed a new lightweight pen structure for offshore fish farming in deeper ocean regions.
- The SeaFisher pen is cost-effective, modular, and estimated to house ten times more fish than current offshore pens.
The University of Queensland has collaborated on a project aimed at developing a lightweight but resilient pen structure, intended to facilitate the expansion of fish farming into deeper ocean regions. Professor Wang estimates that the new offshore cage design may be able to house up to ten times the quantities of current offshore pens.
The project, commissioned by the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre, involved collaboration between researchers at multiple universities. The SeaFisher pen combines high-density polyethylene pipes with custom brackets and connectors to create a strong yet lightweight frame that can withstand rough weather conditions found further from the coast.
With the potential to produce higher quantities of fish at a fraction of the cost of current offshore fish farming structures, the SeaFisher pen offers a modular system of cages that can be easily monitored, fed, and harvested. It also minimizes disturbance to the ocean floor through its innovative anchoring design.
