Method and apparatus for growing seafood in commercially significant quantities on land

A method of growing seafood comprising the steps of:

• providing a source of a plurality of species of phytoplankton;
• providing a source of brackish or salt water;
• providing an algal reservoir;
• transporting water from the source of brackish or salt water to the algal reservoir;
• inoculating the water in the algal reservoir with a plurality of species of phytoplankton from the source of phytoplankton;
• adding fertilizer to the water in the algal reservoir periodically for providing a mixture which is a nutrient for the pluarality of species of phytoplankton used to inoculate the water, and subjecting the mixture to sunlight for increasing the density of each of the plurality of species of phytoplankton in the water;
• providing a production trench separate and apart from the algal reservoir for containing seafood for which the phytoplankton in the algal reservoir is a nutrient;
• placing a predetermined number of seafood animals in each of a plurality of trays;
• stacking a selected number of the plurality of trays in each of a plurality of vertical stacks in the trench;
• and
• causing the mixture of water and phytoplankton flowing from the algal reservoir to flow vertically through each of the stacks for distributing the phytoplankton to the animals.

In a system for growing seafood in commercial quantities, the improvement comprising:

• reservoir means for growing nutrients in water for feeding seafood;
• means forming an elongated production trench for removably receiving a plurality of trays, each of said trays being adapted for containing a particular type of seafood and each being built for causing water flowing through the trays to flow vertically therethrough;
• means for transporting water and nutrients from the reservoir means to the trench;
• means for discharging water from the trench;
• a septum disposed in the trench for directing water in the trench through the trays and a box-like framework for supporting in vertical relationship a plurality of the trays above the bottom of the trench, said box-like framework comprising three permanent side members and one removable side member which is located facing the septum and removable from the framework for allowing water to pass vertically through the trays supported on the framework and under the septum and which is insertable in the framework for blocking the flow of water therethrough and preventing its passage under the septum.

A land-based aquaculture system for growing seafood on land in commercially significant quantities comprising:

• means forming a reservoir for growing seafood nutrients suitable for feeding seafood;
• a trench;
• means forming a plurality of trays for containing seafood adapted for removable insertion in the trench, each of the trays having four closed side-wall members and an apertured bottom member for preventing a horizontal flow of water therethrough, while allowing a vertical flow of water therethrough;
• means for transporting the seafood nutrients from the reservoir means to the trench;
• a septum supported in a plane parallel to the major axis of the trench, said septum being supported a predetermined distance above the bottom of the trench for causing the seafood nutrients from the reservoir to flow beneath the septum and through the trays along a vertical downward and upward path in the trench;
• means forming a purging pond for containing seaweed for which the wastes from seafood growing in the trench are nutrients;
• and means for transporting the effluent from the trench to the purging pond means for purging the effluent of the seaweed nutrients.