Mussel cultivation device
OwnerGilles Gagnoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Mussels are commonly grown on ropes which have been seeded with immature molluscs. Past techniques for farming mussels have suffered from low product yields because of the low surface area of a mussel rope, and mussel detachment from the rope. Existing devices for solving these problems are cumbersome and difficult to use. The present invention solves the problems by providing a mussel farming device including a planar body with a slot in one side thereof for receiving a rope or mesh bag, an aperture at the center of the body, and a clip in the aperture for attaching the body to the rope or bag. A plurality of such devices are attached to a rope or bag at intervals along its length, thereby providing a large surface area for mussel attachment and creating stable platforms on which the mussels can mature.
Claims9
A mollusc aquaculture device comprising:
- a planar, disc-shaped body for supporting molluscs;
- an aperture in the center of said body for receiving a rope;
- a slot extending inwardly from a side edge of said body to said aperture for introducing a rope into said aperture;
- a reinforcing flange on the periphery of said body, aperture and slot, said flange defining an outer edge of said body and the sides of said slot and said aperture and projecting above and below said body;
- and
- a clip in said aperture connected to said body for securing the body at a fixed location on a rope, whereby a rope can be inserted through the body and into engagement with the clip to affix the body to the rope.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.