Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K63/00—Receptacles for live fish, e.g. aquaria; Terraria
  • A01K63/02—Receptacles specially adapted for transporting live fish
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K63/00—Receptacles for live fish, e.g. aquaria; Terraria
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K63/00—Receptacles for live fish, e.g. aquaria; Terraria
  • A01K63/04—Arrangements for treating water specially adapted to receptacles for live fish
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A22—BUTCHERING; MEAT TREATMENT; PROCESSING POULTRY OR FISH
  • A22C—PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH
  • A22C29/00—Processing shellfish or bivalves, e.g. oysters, lobsters; Devices therefor, e.g. claw locks, claw crushers, grading devices; Processing lines
  • A22C29/04—Processing bivalves, e.g. oysters
  • A22C29/043—Cleaning operations on bivalves, e.g. evisceration, brushing, separation of meat and shell material

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for simulating tide ebbs and tide flows in a container for storing live marine animals, and in particular for maintaining a sufficient muscle movement of shellfish in the form of opening and the closing of the shell following the tide ebbs and tide flows, with the aim of retaining the shellfish in a good condition.
• Farming of marine species such as shellfish usually takes place at sea. When the shellfish has reached a desired size it must often be transported for some hours to a processing station where it is processed and prepared for pre-packing. During this transportation a number of shellfish die, depending strongly on the transportation distance. Often, a portion of the shellfish is weak as it arrives to the processing station, which lowers the value of the product and sometimes such shellfish is discarded. Furthermore, when the shellfish enters the processing station it must be processed almost immediately, due to how sensitive it is and how difficult it is to retain alive. It is consequently difficult to control the processing.
• a solution to the above problem is provided herein by devices and methods to maintain a sufficient muscle movement of stored shellfish such as to obtain cyclic opening and the closing of the shell.
• Such movement may be obtained through simulating tidal ebb and flow cycles in the storage container where the shellfish is stored and/or transported, which causes cyclic opening and closing the shell.
• Such a movement may be regarded as an exercise for the shellfish, which improves its condition and keeps it healthier and alive longer and therefore increases its value.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a method and device for maintaining marine animals, such as in particular shellfish in good condition, by effecting tide ebbs and tide flows in a storage container where the marine animals are stored. Due to such simulated ebb and flow cycles the shellfish closes the shell when the water level in the container is low, and open the shell when the water level in the container is high. This cycle of opening and closing the shell of shellfish has the effect on the shellfish that their condition is maintained or improved, their life prolonged and their quality as food product thus improved.
• the present invention relates to a device for improving the storage conditions for marine animals such as in particular shellfish by means of simulating tide ebbs and tide flows in a container containing the marine animals, thus enabling tide-dependent reactions and movement of the animals, such as a muscle movement of shellfish in the form of closing and opening the shell, and thereby improving or maintaining the condition of the marine animals.
• the invention may, however, find use for other marine animals as well, that are stored and transported submerged in water, and in particular those animals where cyclic draining by a simulated flood and ebb system is desired.
• Such marine animals may include crustaceans such as shrimp, lobster, crayfish and crabs; and molluscs such as bivalves including mussels, clams, oysters, and cockles.
• the device according to the invention comprises:
• an inlet and an outlet arranged in said at least one container the inlet being adapted to allow the flow of fluid to enter the container and the outlet for releasing fluid from the container, a housing that is open in one end and closed in the other end and is arranged such that the open end is within said at least one container and adjacent to the bottom of the container, providing an access for air and fluid flow in the housing near the bottom of the container,
• a pipe arranged within the housing, the pipe being connected to the outlet of the container, and adapted to evacuate air from the housing through the outlet and further adapted to guide a flow of fluid from the housing through the outlet .
• the container comprises four sidewalls and a bottom, wherein the outlet is arranged by the bottom of the container and the open end of the container defines the inlet, or the inlet is provided as a hole or valve on a lid of the container or by its top edge.
• the flow of fluid into the container is a constant flow, such as provided by a conventional water source, where the fluid may suitably be selected from seawater, freshwater, saline solutions, regular "tap" water or any combination of these.
• the shape of the housing is not essential for the present invention. However, whereas the pipe has typically a cylindrical shape, the housing has therefore preferably also a cylindrical shape. Furthermore, for facilitating the removing of the housing and the pipe from the container, the housing and the pipe are preferably attached together as a single unit, wherein the individual components are preferably detachable.
• the present invention further comprises in another preferred embodiment an additional bottom layer, suitably arranged with support members, e.g. a plurality of supporting feet or pins mounted to it such that by resting on the container bottom an intermediate space is formed between the container bottom and the additional bottom layer, where said additional bottom is adapted for disposal of waste from the marine animals towards the bottom of the container through holes provided in the additional bottom unit so that the waste is collected in said intermediate space, thus reducing pollution of the marine animals, such as by their own ordure.
• the animals are thus contained in a cleaner environment, further enhancing their quality.
• the container may be formed and sized in accordance with the specific storage and transport demands for any given settings.
• Plastic containers, tubs or vats e.g. about 500-1000 L can be useful in this regard, however, larger containers, such as 2-10 m 3 tanks can as well be used.
• the containers can be made from any suitably material, plastic materials are preferred, such as polyethylene, which can readily be molded into durable containers of a desired shape, such as to facilitate stacking and fork-lifting.
• polyethylene can have single-layer of doubly layered walls, with our without insulation (e.g. air pockets and/or polyethylene foam).
• the container is preferably equipped with a lid, in such case the inlet can be provided as a hole or port on the lid or on a sidewall of the container, close to the upper edge of the container.
• the evacuation of air through the outlet of the container has the functionality in conducting tide ebbs and tide flows, that the height of the fluid column in the housing follows the height of the water column in the container as the flow of fluid flows into the container. Accordingly, filling the container of increases the height of the fluid column in the container as well as in the housing, which fluid columns are substantially the same.
• the maximum height level of the fluid column in the container corresponds to the height of the pipe in the housing and therefore the fluid column in the housing. This upper height level corresponds to tide flows.
• the height level of the fluid column in the container decreases and at a later time point reaches the level of the housing opening, at which time air enters into the housing and disrupts the fluid column in the housing and the fluid column in the container.
• This lower height level of the fluid column in the container corresponds to the tide ebbs simulated in the container.
• the cycle is then automatically repeated, as long as there is constant input of water, and forms therefore cycles of tide ebbs and tide flows of fluid in said container.
• a plurality of containers are arranged in a stacked fashion.
• the flow of fluid provided into the top-most containers is typically provided as a constant flow of fluid from an external source, while the flow of fluid into the underlying container or containers is provided through the outlet from the above lying container(s).
• each of them must be provided with said housing and said pipe, which in one preferred embodiment are mounted together as a single unit. Accordingly, by arranging a plurality of containers together in a stacked way, cycles of tide ebbs and tide flows are conducted in consecutive order in all containers.
• the present invention relates to a method for improving storage conditions of marine animals by means of conducting tide ebbs and tide flows in a container containing the marine animals, enabling tide-dependent reactions and movement of the marine animals, such as in particular muscle movement of shellfish, and thereby improving or maintaining the condition of the marine species.
• the marine animals is a shellfish species, such as a bivalve species, e.g. mussel species, such as blue mussel, in which case tide-dependent muscle movement causes closing and opening the shell of the shellfish.
• a shellfish species such as a bivalve species, e.g. mussel species, such as blue mussel, in which case tide-dependent muscle movement causes closing and opening the shell of the shellfish.
• a further embodiment of the present invention provides a method for improving the storage condition for marine animals such as in particular shellfish, by means of simulating tide ebbs and tide flows in a container for storing the marine animals, enabling tide-dependent reactions and movement such as in particular closing and opening the shell of shellfish, thereby improving or maintaining the condition of the marine animals.
• the method preferably comprises the steps of:
• each of the at least one container(s) being provided with an inlet for allowing a flow of fluid to enter the container, and an outlet for releasing a flow of fluid from the container,
• a housing in each container the housing being open in one end and closed in the other end and is arranged the container such that the open end is adjacent to the bottom of the container providing an access for air and fluid flow to the housing, the housing being adapted to provide an interactive function between a water column built up in the housing and a water column in the container,
• tide ebbs and tide flows is conducted by the self-acting (automatic) cycles of:
• the housing and the pipe are attached together as a single unit as described above, this enables the unit to be removed easily, such as for cleaning.
• the housing may be a hollow cylinder and the access/entrance a plurality of holes bored in the cylinder.
• an additional bottom unit is provided in each of said at least one container, as described above. The shellfish is thus maintained in a clean area. Further, by removing the bottom unit and the housing and the pipe unit, the container can easily be cleaned.
• the fluid may be pure water (e.g. regular tap water), seawater, a saline solution or any mixture of those.
• the cycles of tide ebbs and tide flows causes muscle movement of the shellfish, which as mentioned may be a blue mussel, such that the shell is opened when the water column height in the container corresponds to tide flows, and vice versa, when the water column height in the container corresponds tide ebbs, the shell is closed.
• This keeps therefore the opening muscle in shape and ensures that the shellfish can stay closed when it is not immersed in water, which is important for keeping the cape water within the shellfish intact.
• the weight of the shellfish depends on the amount of water enclosed in the shell.
• an important parameter that must be considered is the oxygen content in the container. A high and evenly distributed oxygen content is ensured by the constant flow of fluid that enters the container, and by the cyclic emptying of the container.
• the time of each cycle of tide ebb and tide flow can be controlled through parameters such as the flow of water/see into the container (volume per time), and the flow speed through the housing and pipe, governed by the diameter of the housing, the size of the entrance, and the diameter of the pipe.
• the time for one cycle of tide ebb and tide flow can thus be adjusted to any desired length of time, such as about 24 hours, or such as about 12 hours, or even shorter, such as in the range of 3- 6 hours.
• a plurality of containers are arranged in a stacked way defining at least one or more upper container and at least one or more lower containers and optionally one or more intermediate containers, wherein the flow of fluid from the outlet of an upper container enters an inlet in a lower positioned container and thereby causes tide cycles in said lower container.
• Figure 1 shows a container for simulating cycles of tide ebbs and tide flows in accordance within the invention
• Figure 2 (a)-(f) illustrates one tidal cycle of ebb and flow being simulated in a container
• Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a part of a container and the tide flow and ebb mechanism
• Figure 4 illustrates one cycle of tide ebb and flow for two containers arranged one on top of the other
• Figure 5 shows a plurality of containers arranged in a stacked fashion, one on top of another.
• a container 1 for simulating a cycle of tide ebbs and tide flows is shown in Figure 1.
• the housing 6, which encloses a pipe 4 (not shown), which is connected to the outlet 12 of the container and is adapted to release a flow of fluid, which is typically fresh water but could be seawater or a saline solution, from the housing and the container after the fluid column in the housing reaches the top end of the pipe.
• An additional bottom plate 8 is shown with a plurality of supporting feet 10 mounted to it such that by resting on the container bottom an intermediate space is formed between the container bottom and the additional bottom plate.
• This additional bottom is perforated with a plurality of holes 11 such that waste (e.g. dirt or ordure) from the shellfish is washed of collects in said intermediate space.
• Figure 2 (a)-(f) illustrates a single cycle of tide ebbs and tide flows, through a cross- sectional view of the container 1 , showing the housing 6 that surrounds the pipe 4, which is connected to the outlet 12 of the container.
• a constant flow of water 2 flows into the main container 1 and starts slowly to fill the main container and the housing.
• the height of the water column in the housing follows the height of the water column in the main container because the air in the housing is evacuated through the pipe as shown in Figure 2 (a).
• the height of the water in the main container and the housing can be defined as a tide ebb level. At this point, the shell of healthy shellfish should be closed.
• This entrance may be a plurality of holes that are bored into the housing at some predefined distance from the bottom end of the containers. This distance defines lower water level height that defines the tide ebbs. If the entrance is close to the bottom 7 of the container the height of the water column in the container defining the tide ebbs is low, and vice versa, if the height is high the water level of the water column defining the tide ebbs is raised.
• the simulated tide enables tide-dependent physical reactions of the contained animals, and in particular maintains the muscle movement of shellfish, and therefore the storage time. Further, shellfish that after long transport is weak and in bad condition may be activated and re-conditioned again through such "exercise", and its quality and value hence increased.
• Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a part of the device, showing a side-wall of the container 1 as being doubly layered, the bottom 7 is shown as having a strengthened support units (16) that he container rests on.
• the housing 6 is fastened to the bottom 7 and has perforations providing the entrance 5.
• the extra bottom plate 8 is shown (resting feet 10 and perforations 11 not shown).
• the housing 6 encloses the pipe 4 as well as an optional additional pipe 13 that serves as a drainpipe that can release the container from liquid in case it overflows and is connected to a drain 15, shown having a screw cap inserted, to open and close the drain.
• the pipe 4 connects to the outlet 12 in the bottom 7, such that water from the outlet can enter another container situated below the container shown.
• An additional air or oxygen source 14 can be suitably led into the container, or as shown, to the intermediate bottom space, ensuring that air/oxygen such provided is distributed through the whole depth of the container.
• Figure 4 shows one cycle of tide ebbs and tide flows for two containers arranged in a stacked way.
• the main difference between this arrangement and the arrangement described in Figure 2, which is for a single container, is that that the outlet 12 of an upper container (see Figure 2 (c)) is adapted to fill the underlying container.
• the function of tide ebbs and tide flows cycles in the both containers is the same as described above for Figure 2.
• Figure 5 shows four containers arranged in a stacked way.
• the fluid flows through the outlet 12 of the second uppermost container, which after reaching its maximum level flows through the outlet of the second upper most container into the third uppermost container etc.
• tide ebb and tide flow cycles are effected in all containers, generally as described for Figure 2.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Marine Sciences & Fisheries (AREA)
• Animal Husbandry (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Food Science & Technology (AREA)
• Farming Of Fish And Shellfish (AREA)
• Processing Of Meat And Fish (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

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• 2003
  • 2003-09-03 CA CA002497424A patent/CA2497424A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-09-03 AU AU2003256066A patent/AU2003256066A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-09-03 WO PCT/IS2003/000027 patent/WO2004021774A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2003-09-03 EP EP03794048A patent/EP1545193A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2005
  • 2005-04-01 IS IS7783A patent/IS7783A/is unknown
  • 2005-04-01 NO NO20051634A patent/NO20051634L/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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