Development of an Autonomous Submersible Fish Cage System

A novel and fully automatic rigid fish cage system has recently been developed for deployment in the waters of Korea. The cage structure has 12 sides, incorporating a steel framework with a diameter and depth of 5.92 and 2.91 m, respectively. Attached to the steel framework is a housing for motor valves controlling variable ballast tanks, eight housings for two air compressors, a main control system, four batteries, a reserve air tank, four high air pressure tanks, 12 variable ballast tanks, and a seawater pump housing. The net of the fish cage is tightened across the frame to minimize volume reduction due to currents. The cage is outfitted with a control station located above the valve housing. With the control system, the buoyancy can be adjusted by utilizing compressed air stored in the four high air pressure tanks. The mechanical components of the ballast systems are operated by automated software that incorporates control and monitoring algorithms. The software initiates control of the ballasting components so the fish cage system can submerge if a preselected sea state occurs. The automatic control station incorporates a wind gauge, wireless communication printed circuit boards (PCBs), and a transmitting antenna. During operation, it monitors the wind speed, so the cage can be submerged before extreme sea states and then surfaced after the weather has passed and the conditions are considered safe. The control station also regulates the flow of air and seawater to and from the variable ballast tanks in response to the surface environmental conditions. Control can also be done remotely by a facility operator. In the development process, in situ tests were conducted to assess the performance of the submersion mechanism and the reliability of the automatic control system with a 1/4 size fish cage of similar construction. During the tests, the vertical position and inclination of the fish cage in the water column were measured. During the tests, the close/open states of the motor valves that control the 12 variable ballast tanks were also assessed during descent and ascent operations. The successful performance of the 1/4 size fish cage during the tests showed promise that such a system could possibly be used on a much larger scale to avoid the rigors of the environment in support of commercial level offshore aquaculture.