# US 11,304,410 B2 · Oyster farming apparatus and methods

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- Number: US 11,304,410 B2
- Document ID: US11304410B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/004,301
- Filed: 2018-06-08
- Published: 2018-10-11
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-07
- Applicants: Norman Boyle
- Inventors: Norman Boyle
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11304410B2

## CPC

- A01K 61/54: of bivalves, e.g. oysters or mussels
- A01K 61/65: Connecting or mooring devices therefor
- B63B 22/00: Buoys ({floating decoys, e.g. for waterfowl A01M31/06;} means for indicating the location of underwater objects B63C7/26; life-buoys, e.g. rings B63C9/08; {mountings of acoustic transducer in underwater equipment, e.g. sonobuoys G10K11/006; electric cables supported on or from floats H02G9/12})
- Y02A 40/81: Aquaculture, e.g. of fish
- A01K: ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- B63B: SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING (arrangements of vessel ventilation, heating, cooling, or air-conditioning B63J2/00; floating substructures as supports of dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F9/06)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

Disclosed herein are stackable cages for holding oysters, modular cages for holding oysters, floating platforms for deploying and retrieving oyster cages from a long line, and floats adapted to engage a plurality of oyster long lines and from which one or more oyster cages may depend.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A stackable cage for holding oysters and configured to depend from a float on an oyster long line, the stackable cage comprising:
side walls comprising apertures for allowing a flow of water therethrough, at least one side wall being openable whilst the cage is stacked,
an upper portion of the stackable cage being adapted to slidably receive an upper cage thereat; a lower portion of the stackable cage being adapted to slidably receive a lower cage thereat;
wherein the upper portion of the stackable cage further comprises a channel or a complementary rail and the lower portion of the stackable cage further comprises either a complementary rail or a channel, respectively;
a cap adapted to be slidably received on an open top of an uppermost stackable cage as a lid for the uppermost stackable cage, the cap comprising a flat rectangular panel and a handle;
the handle having rigid portions angled upward from opposite sides of the cap directly above a channel or complimentary rail and converging at an uppermost portion of the handle;
the uppermost portion of the handle comprising a circular rod centrally located above an upper surface of the flat rectangular panel and shaped to be slidably received in a float on an oyster long line;
wherein the circular rod is configured to create a degree of rotational movement between the float and the cap to mitigate effects of tidal surges.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The stackable cage of claim 1, wherein the channel and rail extend for substantially the entire length of the stackable cage.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The stackable cage of claim 1, wherein the stackable cage comprises a base and upright sides, whereby a base of an upper cage defines a lid of the stackable cage.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The stackable cage of claim 1, wherein the stackable cage is formable from a flat material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The stackable cage of claim 1, wherein the stackable cage is a rectangular prism in shape.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The stackable cage of claim 1, wherein the stackable cage is adapted to depend from the float in manner whereby that prevents snagging between the stackable cage and the oyster long line when lifting the float from the water.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The stackable cage of claim 1, wherein the float is elongate and adapted to engage a plurality of oyster long lines, the float further comprising spaced apart channels adapted to receive the plurality of long lines therein, at least one of the channels comprising a recess adapted to retain therein a bulbous portion provided on at least one of the long lines.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The stackable cage of claim 1, wherein the float is configured to be received between first and second hulls of a floating platform for deploying and retrieving the stackable oyster cages on a long line, the floating platform comprising:
a first portion comprising a first water contacting hull;
a second portion comprising a second water contacting hull; the second portion being detachably connected to the first portion; and
a lifter for lifting and lowering oyster cages,
wherein a buoyancy of the first portion and a buoyancy of the second portion are independently adjustable in response to a weight distribution over the floating platform.