Our mussel farming solutions have proven to be so cost efficient and smart that we over the years repeatedly have been asked to develop equipment for cage farmed shellfish, like oysters for example. Since we are a small family run company time has been limited, but now finally we are giving it a go! We are honoured to be receiving innovation funds from @Innovation Norge for this and we are looking at having Smart Care Oyster Solution ready by 2020! These solutions will have the same attributes and signatures as our mussel farming equipment.
There is no farming method or system today that fully addresses the major challenges with farming oysters, or other shellfish in cages. Even though the existing solutions for farming in the tidal zone take advantage of the intermittent exposure to the wind and sun for drying off fouling, they still struggle to withstand bad weather and storms. In addition, the demand for oysters on the market is increasing, while tidal zone acre for oyster farming is limited. Deep water farming has the potential of the full vertical water column increasing the footprint of the farm to 3 dimensions. Today’s available farming gear still needs the labour-intensive work of retrieving the containers for their cleaning and tumbling of the oysters.
Smart Farm’s SmartCare solution is to be designed for farming caged farm shellfish in open waters, and that the system will be an all-in-one solution, addressing access to food, fouling, bad weather and tumbling, all under water. It is our belief that such system would reduce risk, time and lower productions costs, while addressing important HSE concerns when working at sea.
Photo credit: Tommaso Conelli
If you are interested in our solutions and want update on developments; drop us a line!