Oyster aquaculture method and apparatus

An oyster aquaculture system comprising:

• a horizontal anchoring system, comprising first and second lines generally parallel to one another and extending along a main direction, from a body of water to a boat, the boat operable to travel along the main direction when handling a set of oyster containers;
• a container handling device for mounting on a boat and configured to receive and handle the set of generally cylindrical and hollow oyster containers, each of the oyster containers extending from a first container end to a second container end along a main cylinder axis, the container handling device comprising:
• a ramp extending along the main direction and configured for engaging and raising each of the oyster containers in turn upward out of water while each of the oyster containers is axially rotatably connected to the horizontal anchoring system to facilitate an axial rotation of each of the oyster containers while maintaining a horizontal position of the oyster containers;
• and
• an operating area including a surface configured to engage with an outer surface of each oyster container during traversal through the operating area, the engagement comprising a horizontal motion of the container handling device relative to each oyster container due to travel of the boat, the engagement further imparting the axial rotation to said each oyster container,
• the axial rotation being about the main cylinder axis, of said each oyster container, which is generally perpendicular to the main direction, the axial rotation causing an oyster tumbling action.

An oyster aquaculture method, comprising:

• deploying a set of generally cylindrical oyster containers axially rotatably coupled to different respective locations along a horizontal anchoring system, the horizontal anchoring system comprising first and second lines generally parallel to one another and extending along a main direction, from a body of water to a boat, each of the set of oyster containers extending from a first container end to a second container end along a main cylinder axis and being axially rotatable about said main cylinder axis to cause an oyster tumbling action while maintaining a horizontal position of said each oyster container;
• deploying a container handling device, mounted on the boat, in line with the horizontal anchoring system and such that the first and second lines of the horizontal anchoring system run overtop of the container handling device;
• and
• moving the boat with the container handling device along the main direction of the horizontal anchoring system to cause successive ones of the oyster containers to reach and move onto the container handling device in turn, the main direction being generally perpendicular to the main cylinder axis of said each of the set of oyster containers, said moving the boat causing said successive ones of the oyster containers to axially rotate about said main cylinder axis while traversing the operating area to cause tumbling of the oysters.