© Innovasea
“Rather than blowing feed pellets onto the surface above the fish pen where they can drift away, FlowFeeder delivers the feed at the depths where fish prefer to congregate. That means less waste and better feed conversion ratios – one of the keys to profitability at any fish farm," said Langley Gace, senior vice-president of Innovasea, in a press release.
The novel feeder can deliver feed to multiple pens from a single, centralised point. It mixes feed pellets with water on the feed vessel and then carries the mixture into the pens. According to Innovasea, the waterborne delivery system requires less power than air-blown systems and can reduce energy costs by up to 50 percent – with farms that use diesel generators to power their feeding operations shrinking their carbon footprint as a result. Waterborne delivery also reduces damage to feed pellets, which are often fractured when blown through pipes by an air compressor.
“Air-blown systems are messy and leave behind a lot of dust and oily feed residue in the pipes,” said Gace. “That requires regular cleanings that drive up operational and maintenance costs and increase downtime on the feed vessel.”
According to Innovasea, FlowFeeder features a proprietary feed dispenser that can be placed at the ideal feeding depth for the species and can distribute the pellets more evenly throughout the pen.
Because the feed pellets are delivered at depth, FlowFeeder enables farm operators to feed even when there are heavy waves, strong currents or surface threats such as harmful algal blooms or sea lice. Not only does that keep fish stocks safe, it also significantly reduces the number of lost feed days to help keep growth targets on track.
