Innovasea debuts new submersible fish pen

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Innovasea announced the release of a new submersible fish pen the company has dubbed the “SeaProtean Pen.”

The new pen is made from high-density polyethylene and has a buoyancy system that can be operated by a single worker using a valve, the company said. By submersing the pen underwater, operators can avoid rough seas or storms that would impact surface pens.

“The SeaProtean Pen is a versatile addition to our lineup of tough, submersible offshore fish pens,” Innovasea CEO David Kelly said. “By delivering improved functionality and premium capabilities at a lower price-point, SeaProtean will bring open ocean aquaculture to new regions and accelerate the journey from planning and permitting to production and profit.”

The pen has a three-chambered buoyancy system, which according to Innovasea, provides “the industry’s smoothest buoyancy control system” to alleviate fish stress and prevent barotrauma. The system also allows staff of an aquaculture operation greater control over farm depth, which helps to place the farm in optimal water temperatures for fish growth.

The ability to lower the pen below the surface is also a boon for aquaculture operations proposed in areas where there is stakeholder opposition to the aesthetics of an aquaculture farm, Innovasea said. While underwater, Innovasea’s underwater feeding solutions allow for operators to continue to feed fish, “reducing missed feed days, boosting growth rates, and improving feed conversion ratios,” the company said.

“It can also be equipped with Innovasea’s optional mortality trap, which lowers operational costs by reducing the need for divers,” Innovasea said.

Innovasea has debuted a number of aquaculture products over the past few years, including an aeration and oxygenation system, an open-ocean fish farming system, and technology allowing fish researchers to retrieve data from the shore.  

Photo courtesy of Innovasea