# US 4,394,846 A · Culture of marine species > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 4,394,846 A - Document ID: US4394846A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 06/300,565 - Filed: 1981-09-09 - Granted: 1983-07-26 - Earliest claimed: 1981-09-09 - Inventors: Oswald A. Roels - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4394846A ## CPC - A01K 61/10: of fish - A01K 61/00: Culture of aquatic animals (receptacles for live fish, e.g. aquaria, A01K63/00) - A01K 61/20: of zooplankton, e.g. water fleas or Rotatoria - A01K 61/54: of bivalves, e.g. oysters or mussels - A01K 61/59: of crustaceans, e.g. lobsters or shrimps - 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 - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE ## Abstract A method of utilizing ocean waters for the culture of marine species. The method includes maintaining a flow of ocean waters through a finfish culture stage and supplying finfish feed to the stage for the culture of finfish therein. The method further includes maintaining a flow of finfish culture stage effluent through a shrimp culture stage and supplying plankton nutrients to that stage for the culture of plankton to constitute part of a shrimp feed for the culture of shrimp, and maintaining a flow of shrimp culture stage effluent through a filter feeder stage for the culture of filter feeders therein. The effluent from the filter feeder stage is fed to a seaweed culture stage for the culture of seaweed and clarification of the effluent, whereafter the clarified effluent is discharged. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of utilizing nutrient deficient ocean waters for the culture of marine species, which comprises: (a) maintaining a flow of nutrient deficient ocean waters into and through a finfish culture stage at a sufficient rate to limit the development of planktonic species in that stage, and supplying finfish feed to the stage for the culture of finfish therein; (b) maintaining a flow of finfish culture stage effluent through a shrimp culture stage, and supplying plankton nutrients to that stage for the culture of plankton to constitute shrimp feed for the culture of shrimp in that stage; and (c) maintaining a flow of shrimp culture stage effluent through a filter feeder stage for the culture of filter feeders therein. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, which further comprises feeding filter feeder stage effluent to a seaweed culture stage for the culture of seaweed and clarification of the effluent, and discharging effluent therefrom. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, which comprises supplying supplemental shrimp feed to the shrimp culture stage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, which comprises producing brine shrimp as one filter feeder species in the filter feeder stage, and supplying brine shrimp so produced to the shrimp stage as suplemental shrimp feed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A method according to claim 4, which comprises utilizing brine shrimp so produced as part of the finfish feed supplied to the finfish stage. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, which comprises culling filter feeders from the filter feeder stage, and supplying such culled filter feeders to the finfish stage as finfish feed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2, 6) A method according to claim 2 or claim 6, which comprises culling filter feeders from the filter feeder stage and supplying such culled filter feeders to the shrimp stage as a shrimp feed supplement. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) A method according to claim 2, which comprises processing marine species produced, and feeding process waste of such marine species to the finfish and shrimp stages as feed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1, 2) A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, which comprises maintaining a flow rate through the finfish stage to maintain oxygen levels approaching saturation in that stage. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1, 2) A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which each of the finfish, shrimp and filter feeder stages is arranged in the form of a plurality of ponds or raceways, with the ponds or raceways of each stage being arranged in parallel. ### Claim 11 A marine polyculture system for the rearing of marine species, the system comprising: (a) maintaining a flow of salt water through a finfish culture stage to provide a water turnover rate in that stage greater than the generation time of common planktonic species, and supplying finfish feed to the stage for the culture of finfish; (b) maintaining a flow of finfish culture stage effluent through a crustacean culture stage and supplying plankton nutrients to the stage to develop plankton blooms in that stage for the culture of crustacean species in that stage; and (c) maintaining a flow of effluent from the crustacean culture stage through a filter feeder culture stage for the culture of filter feeders therein. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A system according to claim 11, further comprising discharging effluent from the filter feeder stage to a seaweed culture stage for the culture of seaweed and for the clarification of the effluent. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A system according to claim 12, in which the salt water is ocean water. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A system according to claim 13, in which the ocean water is nutrient rich deep ocean water. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13, 14) A system according to claim 13 or claim 14, which comprises controlling the flow of water through the crustacean culture stage to allow the establishment of phytoplankton and zooplankton blooms in that stage to constitute a major food component for crustaceans in the form of shrimp in that stage. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A system according to claim 15, which comprises supplementing shrimp feed in the crustacean culture stage with filter feeders produced in the filter feeder culture stage. ### Claim 17 A method of utilizing nutrient poor ocean waters for the culture of marine species, which comprises: (a) maintaining a flow of nutrient poor ocean water through a finfish culture stage at a rate to inhibit the development of common planktonic species in that stage; (b) supplying finfish feed to the finfish culture stage for the culture of finfish therein; (c) maintaining a flow of finfish culture stage effluent through a shrimp culture stage; (d) supplying plankton nutrients to the shrimp culture stage for the culture of plankton in that stage to constitute shrimp feed for the culture of shrimp in that stage; (e) maintaining a flow of shrimp culture stage effluent through a filter feeder culture stage for the culture of filter feeders in that stage; and (f) feeding filter feeder stage effluent to a seaweed culture stage for the culture of seaweed and for the removal of waste products from the effluent, and discharging effluent from that stage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A method according to claim 17, which comprises producing brine shrimp in the filter feeder stage, and supplying produced brine shrimp to the finfish culture stage as finfish feed and to the shrimp culture stage as a shrimp feed supplement. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17, 18) A method according to claim 17 or claim 18, which comprises recovering and processing finfish, shrimp and filter feeders produced in the stages, and supplying processing waste to the finfish and shrimp stages as feed.