System for harvesting crustaceans

A system for harvesting crustaceans including

• holding means for housing each crustacean in a separate compartment;
• monitoring means for automatically monitoring said crustaceans to determine whether they have molted;
• and
• harvesting means for removing molted crustaceans from the holding means, wherein the monitoring means includes an automated camera adapted to periodically take images of the crustaceans in the compartments, and a processor with software adapted to receive and analyze the images to determine whether the crustacean has molted where a molted crustacean is indicated by the presence of two bodies in a compartment, and instruct the harvesting means to remove the molted crustacean from their compartment, said automated camera is robotically mounted being able to move the camera into a suitable position for taking the image of the crustacean in each compartment.

A system for harvesting crustaceans including

• holding means for housing each crustacean in a separate compartment;
• monitoring means for automatically monitoring said crustaceans to determine whether they have molted;
• and
• harvesting means for removing molted crustaceans from the holding means, wherein the monitoring means includes an automated camera adapted to periodically take images of the crustaceans in the compartments, a processor with software which can receive and analyze the images to determine whether the crustacean has molted where a molted crustacean is indicated by the presence of two bodies in a compartment, and instruct the harvesting means to remove the molted crustacean from their compartment, said automated camera is robotically mounted being able to move the camera into a suitable position for taking the image of the crustacean in each compartment, wherein there is feeding means operatively associated with the monitoring means, said feeding means includes a dispensing means which is mounted on the same robot as the camera.

An automated system of farming and harvesting crustaceans including

• modular housing means including a plurality of holding means supported on a racking system, said holding means houses each crustacean in a separate compartment;
• monitoring means for the automated monitoring of said crustaceans to determine whether they have molted;
• feeding means for the adding of food to each compartment;
• and
• harvesting means for the removal of molted crustaceans from the holding means, wherein the monitoring means includes an automated camera adapted to periodically take images of the crustaceans in the compartments, a processor with software which can receive and analyze the images to determine whether the crustacean has molted where a molted crustacean is indicated by the presence of two bodies in a compartment, and instruct the harvesting means to remove the molted crustacean from their compartment.

A method of farming and harvesting crustaceans, said method comprising steps of

• obtaining a plurality of crustaceans;
• positioning each of said crustaceans in individual holding means;
• monitoring with the monitoring means each of said crustaceans to determine whether they have molted;
• and
• harvesting with the harvesting means each of the molted crustaceans, wherein the monitoring involves using an automated camera adapted to periodically take images of the crustaceans in the compartments, processing using a processor with software which can receive and analyze the images to determine whether the crustacean has molted where a molted crustacean is indicated by the presence of two bodies in a compartment, and instructing the harvesting means to remove the molted crustacean from their compartment.