© AJ Metcalfe, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Solar Oysters, a sustainable aquaculture technology producer, has this week announced a new partnership with Blue Oyster Environmental, a vertically integrated oyster aquaculture company. Through their strategic collaboration, the companies aim to revolutionize aquaculture technology by using solar energy for oyster production, enhancing environmental sustainability and efficiency.
Their Solar Oyster Production System (SOPS) is estimated to produce up to 200,000 oysters in an 8 km2 space, according to a press release from the aquatech company. Traditional oyster farms often require a much larger active space to produce a similar amount. The SOPS prototype has solar panels that rotate 575 oyster cages on five ladders to a depth of 16 feet, increasing the oysters’ access to varying food availability, dissolved oxygen, and salinity and also exposes them to sunlight, which can inhibit biofouling. The SOPS technology includes a spray wash system powered by solar energy.
“We are excited to partner with Solar Oysters to bring this innovative, game-changing technology to the aquaculture market,” said Jordan Shockley, chief executive officer at Blue Oyster Environmental.
In addition to their aim to revolutionise the oyster aquaculture industry, Blue Oyster Environmental hope to re-establish the eastern oyster as a cornerstone species of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
As part of the collaboration, the SOPS prototype will be operated by Blue Oyster Environmental in Fishing Bay, Maryland, in 2024. Through this new partnership, the companies hope to further develop the SOPS technology and enhance its operation. Blue Oyster Environmental will be the North American distributor of SOPS as the partnership brings this innovative technology to the aquaculture market.
“We look forward to working with Blue Oyster Environmental as our partner in bringing this potentially game-changing technology to growers and those interested in oyster restoration,” said Steve Pattison, business director at Solar Oysters.
