SBIR Phase I: Launching Velella: Testing the Commercial Potential of Mobile Offshore Fish Farming In Ocean Gyres

SBIR 第一阶段：推出 Velella：测试海洋环流移动式近海养鱼的商业潜力

• 批准号: 0912277
• 负责人: Neil Sims
• 金额: $ 9.97万
• 依托单位: Kona Blue Water Farms, LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-01 至 2010-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0912277&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Launching; Velella; Testing

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project explores expanding open ocean mariculture by using mobile, drifting fish pens entrained in regional oceanic gyres. Offshore fish farming offers tremendous growth opportunities, but faces constraints: lengthy permit processes for leases or expansion and concerns for impacts on water quality, benthos, wild fish health and view planes. Velella drifter cages resolve these regulatory concerns, reduce potential for environmental impacts, and improve fish health and productivity. Velella cages are entrained within offshore gyres, using remotely-controlled sails or deployable sea-anchors for vector forces. Research must develop predictive models of the Kona gyre, test this by deployment of GPS-tracked drogues, and then deploy a drifting cage from the existing farm and track its movement. Satellite links for video-monitoring and feeding controls will also be tested. The broader impacts of this research are development of sustainable, scalable technology for open ocean mariculture. NOAA aspires to increase aquaculture production fivefold by 2025. The need is pressing: America?s seafood trade deficit is $9 billion. Domestic seafood demand is increasing, yet capture fisheries face declining stocks, closures, and increasing regulation. Open ocean aquaculture presents the best opportunity for meeting NOAA's goal and global seafood needs in a sustainable, environmentally-sound manner. Kona Blue already produces up to 100,000 lbs/month of sashimi-grade Kona Kampachi® offshore in Hawaii, but expansion opportunities are limited by leases and permits. Broader technologies developed for Velella could also be licensed to existing farm operations, to increase automation, reduce labor, and increase efficiencies.This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目探索通过使用移动的，漂移的鱼围栏夹带在区域海洋环流扩大开放的海洋海产养殖。近海养鱼业提供了巨大的增长机会，但也面临着制约因素：租赁或扩建的许可证程序冗长，以及对水质、底栖生物、野生鱼类健康和景观影响的担忧。Velella漂流网箱解决了这些监管问题，减少了对环境影响的可能性，并改善了鱼类健康和生产力。Velella笼被夹带在海上漩涡内，使用遥控帆或可部署的海锚作为矢量力。研究必须开发科纳环流的预测模型，通过部署GPS跟踪的锥管来测试这一点，然后从现有的农场部署一个漂流笼并跟踪其运动。还将测试用于视频监测和喂养控制的卫星连接。这项研究的更广泛的影响是开发可持续的，可扩展的开放海洋海产养殖技术。NOAA希望到2025年将水产养殖产量增加五倍。迫切需要：美国？美国的海产品贸易逆差为90亿美元。国内海产品需求正在增加，但捕捞渔业面临着库存下降、关闭和监管增加的问题。公海水产养殖为以可持续、环保的方式实现NOAA的目标和全球海鲜需求提供了最佳机会。Kona Blue已经在夏威夷近海生产了高达10万磅/月的生鱼片级Kona Kampachi®，但扩张机会受到租赁和许可证的限制。为Velella开发的更广泛的技术也可以授权给现有的农场运营，以提高自动化程度，减少劳动力，提高效率。该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。