CINEMar/Open Ocean Aquaculture Annual Progress Report for the period 1/01/04 through 12/31/04

Principal Investigator: Michael Chambers

I. Accomplishments

A. Scheduled Tasks

1. Maintenance of the Open Ocean Aquaculture site and infrastructure.
2. Dismantle and recover the SS600 fish cage.
3. Exchange pennant weights on the SS600 and SS3000 cages.
4. Feed Buoy operations and maintenance.
5. Implement video monitoring and telemetry system for fish observation.
6. Construction of new aquaculture vessel.

B. Progress on Tasks
1. Maintenance of the OOA site and infrastructure.
As the project has continued to grow in scope and scale, the necessary infrastructure has grown accordingly. Cage and mooring cleaning were conducted primarily during the spring, summer and fall. The maintenance of the four-grid mooring, three fish cages, two feed buoys (Figure 1) and the varieties of experiments offshore have kept the dedicated staff extremely busy. Farm visits increased this year particularly to fill the feed buoys and to maintain the feeding systems. Trips to fill the buoys increased to a rate of twice/week during peak growth periods in the fall of 2004 (Figure 2). The ability to manage the increased workload was aided by newly acquired infrastructure and the ability to operate more effectively from the Coastal Marine Lab pier (Figure 3). Infrastructure that was purchased this last year included a used forklift, pier boom crane, a feed blower (Figure 4), and storage containers for fish food and equipment. In addition, a new aquaculture vessel (see section I.A.8) will be commissioned in January 2005 that will improve site operation efficiency (see section I.A.6).

Previous operations were carried out at the Portsmouth Commercial Fishing Pier. Being a busy port, it was often difficult to load and unload equipment with project vessels. Thus, having the ability to work from our own pier with the necessary tools has greatly improved operations.

2. Dismantle and recover the SS600 fish cage
Upon completion of the juvenile cod experiment, the 600 m³ cage in the northwest quadrant of the grid was removed. The main net and nursery net were removed and the cage was partially dismantled and towed to shore. Cage components are currently stored at UNH’s shorside facilities in Newcastle, NH until the cage is needed.

3. Exchange pennant weights on the SS600 and SS3000 cages
Problems encountered over the past few with the solid pennant weights caused us to switch from mooring block style weights to lengths of heavy chain. Deployment of chain pennants that weigh 7,000lb required some ingenuity, since vessels that can handle that amount of weight are not readily available to the project. The problem was overcome by moving and installing small (10’) sections of heavy linked with lighter chain rather than in one long section. While this method worked well it required significant dive time, as do many operations associated with submerged cage culture.

4. Feed buoy operations and maintenance
One-Ton Feed Buoy Operations - At the time of last reporting in December 2003 the 1-ton feed buoy had been calibrated and tested at on shore, towed to the aquaculture site, and temporarily moored in the empty grid space diagonally opposite the 3000 m³ cod cage.

Once on site, a number of adjustments to electronic and mechanical systems had to be made before the feeder became operational in early 2004.

A pneumatic feed filling system was installed in late winter to allow the feed to be blown from a boat into the buoy much more efficiently than by hand. The system, custom built by Integrated Aquaculture Systems in Canada, consists of a feed blower, an electrostatic dissipative rubber hose, and a cyclonic decelerator (Figure 4). The feed blower has the capability to transfer feed from the filling vessel to the buoy at a rate of ~500 lb/minute. The crane on the new vessel will be able to pick up 1-ton bags of feed for transfer into the feed blower, further increasing the transfer speed.

In July, a new mooring for the feed buoy was developed and deployed. The new three-point mooring consists of two rope legs with concrete counterweights in the middle and one elastic hose with an internal stretch limiting rope. The feed hose does not act as a mooring point as it does with the 0.25 ton feed buoy-mooring configuration. The new mooring allows the buoy and cage to occupy the same grid space, greatly reducing the length of the feed hose from four hundred feet to one hundred seventy feet. This, in turn, allows for a faster buoy-to-cage feed transport rate.

In September, after six months of continuously reliable operation, a leak developed in the plumbing surrounding the feed pumps. After careful inspection it was determined that a brass to stainless steel pipe fitting interface led to accelerated corrosion among several fittings in that area. The pumps were re-plumbed using solid stainless steel fittings and no further corrosion has been noted.

Also in September, a flexible conduit was installed alongside the current feed hose which houses several cables for underwater lights, video cameras, a fish tracking system, and for future environmental sensors. Two 120 VAC 400 watt metal halide lights were installed in the cage to suppress fish gonadal development. The lights are turned on twice a day, early morning and late evening, to simulate extended natural daylight. Three video cameras were also installed which will allow for video to be captured and transmitted to shore via four different methods; high resolution video can be recorded in the buoy with a digital video recorder, transmitted along a hardwire link to a vessel for high resolution video capture, transmitted wirelessly to a nearby vessel for medium-high resolution capture, or streamed wirelessly to shore for medium-low resolution capture and real-time display. The fish tracking system allows for high resolution tracking of acoustically tagged fish. The cage hardware for the acoustic system consists of four strategically mounted hydrophones. An additional cable was installed to accommodate sensors to measure temperature at various depths, pressure (i.e. cage depth), current, DO, waste feed monitoring equipment, etc.

0.25 -Ton Feed Buoy Operations - At the time of the last reporting the 0.25-ton feed buoy had been in successful operation for almost a year with only minor maintenance and a few electrical problems. In late spring of 2004 the feeder was overhauled on site. All of the mechanical and electrical systems were completely removed for cleaning and general inspection. New batteries were installed and a few important control system changes were made. A new Persistor CFI computer was installed to correct faulty voltage measurements. The system was reassembled and the feeder has run without maintenance since. Operators are now able to monitor correct battery voltages and electrical consumptions hourly and during feeding operations.

5. Implement video monitoring and telemetry system for fish observation
Video telemetry from the OOA site has been a continuous challenge. Problems with transmission, underwater cameras, and broken cables have kept engineers and divers busy exchanging components. Efforts will continue on this important technology until a consistent and reliable link has been established from the research farm to the University.

6. Construction of new aquaculture vessel
The OOA commissioned construction of a dedicated support vessel built by Millennium Marine Inc. of Escuminac NB Canada (Figure 5). The vessel will be used as the primary support platform for operations at the site. It is equipped with an articulating knuckle boom crane, located amidships, with a 2,000 pound lifting capacity at a reach of 22’. The hull is made of solid fiberglass with cored decks and superstructure. This advanced form of construction produces a stiff, fast hull.

The vessel is also equipped with a load sensing hydraulic system capable of running all of the hydraulic equipment on board simultaneously without thermal breakdown of the hydraulic fluid.

Main propulsion is from a four stroke Deutz 1015 8 cylinder, 590 horsepower diesel engine. The engine is fuel efficient (18 gal/hour @2100rpm) and capable of speeds of up to 18 knots at 2100 rpm. The boat is equipped with an 8 kilowatt Onan Generator which can supply the vessel with both A.C. and D.C. voltage.

Interior accommodations include a tech room with work bench, 2 berths, benches, galley with sink and microwave, a fully enclosed head with shower and settee tables in the wheel house and galley. Navigational electronics include Raymarine C120 flat screen displays with screens dedicated to depth sounding, radar and chart plotting. Vessel delivery is expected in early January 2005.

Vessel Specifications:
LOA 51’4”
Beam 18’2”
Draft 4’6”
Fuel 600 gallons
Water 100 gallons
Displacement 15 Tons
Propulsion Deutz 1015, 590 BHP @ 2100 RPM
Hydraulics 2 Parker load sensing pumps, 24 gal/min (4,000psi) @ 800 RPM

C. Important Results or Findings
The list of accomplishments for the OOA project continues to grow. The four-grid mooring with submersible cages and feed systems have withstood the harsh Northeast storms that frequent the site. Concepts for culture systems that were considered by some to be impossible four years ago are now in place today.

D. Difficulties Encountered
Challenges still face the project regarding the consistent transmission of real time information from the OOA site to UNH. This component is essential in managing the farm from shore, especially during the winter months when the site is not readily accessible. This challenge will remain a priority for 2005.

The upkeep and filling of the feed buoys of fish food has become a full time job for captains and biologists on the project. This demand will continue to increase as more cages and fish are established at the OOA site. The 20 ton feed buoy and aquaculture vessel will address this concern in the near future. As with any new system, the bugs will need to be worked out before the system operates effectively and continuously. This will be but a few of the new challenges the project will face this upcoming year.

E. Anticipated Success in Meeting Project Objectives on Schedule
The objectives for Project Infrastructure were successfully carried out during this reporting period thanks to the efforts captains, divers, biologists and engineers involved with the day-to-day operations of the farm.

F. Reports, manuscripts, and presentations resulting from the project
Please see Reports section of Project Management.

II. Tasks and Activities for Next Reporting period

A. Tasks for the next reporting period

1. Prepare moorings for seasonal tuna penning
2. Prepare site for incubating commercial cod culture businesses
3. Deployment of load cells in the grid
4. Haddock SS600 cage removal
5. Quarter ton feed buoy overhaul
6. Construction and testing of the 20 ton feed buoy
7. Deployment of the SBIR, submersible cage

B. Brief work plan to accomplish tasks
1. Seasonal tuna penning
The project will provide the field infrastructure to accommodate the installation and operation of a cage for temporarily holding bluefin tuna

2. Commercial cod culture
An interested party has requested space in the UNH mooring grid to conduct initial growout trials of cod while pursuing permits for their own aquaculture site. Great Bay Aquaculture has agreed to provide juvenile cod that will be placed into a new, submersible nursery cage that the group will deploy at the OOA site. UNH engineers will model the system prior to deployment to make certain the cage can withstand the environmental conditions offshore. If the nursery system passes the UNH modeling criteria and field testing, then a larger growout cage will be considered for construction and deployment in the fall of 2005.

3. Deployment of load cells in the grid
While UNH has a numerical model to predict the loading of moorings at the UNH OOA site, periodic validation of the model is important to ensure accuracy. For evaluation of the four grid mooring geometry, four load cells will be deployed during January of 2005. The data from these load cells will be compared with model predictions.

4. Haddock SS600 cage removal
After the haddock harvest, the SS600 cage will be cleaned thoroughly, partially dismantled and towed back to the CML pier. Components of the cage will be further cleaned and inspected for ware and then stored away for future use.

5. One ton feed buoy overhaul
The one ton feed buoy will have a general overhaul before it is redeployed near the experimental cod nursery cage (See section II.A.2.). This will include cleaning, anode replacement, telemetry system upgrade and replacement of worn components. In addition, a new mooring will be configured for placement of the buoy near the nursery cage.

6. Construction of the 20 ton feed buoy
Construction and testing of the new 20 ton feed buoy is scheduled for the fall of 2005. The buoy will be relocated to Port Authority in Portsmouth, NH where final installation and testing of control and telemetry systems will occur.

7. Deployment of the SBIR, submersible cage
An SBIR grant was funded to design and fabricate a submersible, plastic cage. This cage will be deployed and site tested in the mooring grid through the winter of 2005 - 2006.

C. Anticipated concerns or difficulties
None anticipated.

III. Expenditures
Expenditures were consistent with the tasks performed during the reporting period.