Aquaculture system

Abstract

This invention provides an aquaculture system that can increase the breeding area per unit area of ​​the tank bottom, thereby reducing the burden of installing and relocating aquaculture equipment. [Solution] A farming system 1 for farming a non-swimming aquatic animal A comprises a tank 2 capable of filling a breeding water W for raising the aquatic animal A to a predetermined water level, one or more stacked breeding cage sets 4 that can be immersed in the breeding water W in the tank 2, each consisting of a plurality of breeding cages 3 having an internal containment chamber 31 for the aquatic animal A, and a feeding pipe 5 provided in each of the breeding cages 3 that penetrates the side portion 32 of the breeding cage 3 from a position higher than the water surface of the breeding water W in the tank 2 and reaches the containment chamber 31.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cultivation system for cultivating non-swimming aquatic animals such as sea urchins.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when cultivating non-swimming aquatic animals, relatively shallow water tanks are often used as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. And in order to increase the number of individuals bred per unit floor area of the cultivation farm, the water tanks may be stacked in multiple tiers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when using water tanks stacked in multiple tiers, water tanks with high mechanical strength equipped with a strong frame for supporting the water tanks on the second tier and above are required. Also, for each stacked water tank, facilities such as water supply and drainage of the breeding water to the water tank are necessary, and management of water quality and the like for each water tank is also necessary. Moreover, the installation and relocation of the water tanks are not easy, and the labor and economic burden at that time increase.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a cultivation system capable of increasing the breeding area per bottom area of the water tank and reducing the burden during installation and relocation of the cultivation equipment. Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention relates to an aquaculture system for cultivating non-swimming aquatic animals, comprising: a tank capable of holding breeding water for raising the aquatic animals up to a predetermined water level; one or more stacked breeding cage sets, each consisting of multiple breeding cages having a chamber for housing the aquatic animals inside, which can be immersed in the breeding water in the tank; and a feeding pipe provided in each of the breeding cages, which penetrates the side portion of the breeding cage from a position higher than the water surface of the breeding water in the tank and reaches the chamber for housing the aquatic animals.

[0007] With the above configuration, multiple rearing cages are stacked and housed in a common tank, which increases the rearing area per unit of tank bottom area and provides an aquaculture system that reduces the burden of setting up and relocating aquaculture equipment. Furthermore, it is convenient that the water quality of numerous rearing cages can be managed commonly by managing a single tank.

[0008] A second aspect of the aquaculture system according to the present invention comprises a feeding pipeline consisting of a curved pipe with one end attached to the side of the rearing cage and the other end facing upward, and a pipe with its lower end connected to the other end of the curved pipe, wherein the lower end of the pipe and the other end of the curved pipe are detachably connected, and the pipe can be configured such that when its lower end is connected to the other end of the curved pipe, its upper end protrudes above the water surface of the rearing water in the tank.

[0009] With the above configuration, the efficiency of tasks such as placing aquatic animals into breeding cages, removing aquatic animals from breeding cages, and stacking breeding cages is improved by separating the pipe from the curved pipe.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention relates to an aquaculture system for cultivating non-swimming aquatic animals, comprising: a tank capable of holding breeding water for raising the aquatic animals up to a predetermined water level; one or more stacked breeding cage sets, each consisting of multiple breeding cages having a chamber for housing the aquatic animals inside, which can be immersed in the breeding water in the tank; and a feeding conduit provided in at least the second and subsequent breeding cages from the top, which are spaced apart from each other in a plan view and extend downward from the top of the stacked breeding cage set to reach the housing chamber of the breeding cage.

[0011] With the above configuration, feeding can be done from above the stacked breeding cage set through the feeding conduits in each individual breeding cage, making feeding easy. Furthermore, since the feeding conduits do not protrude from the sides of the breeding cages, the stability of the stacked breeding cages is improved, and the area occupied by the stacked breeding cage set is reduced, which also helps to reduce the bottom area of ​​the aquarium.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a farming system in which the portion of the feeding pipeline between the bottoms of the stacked rearing cages is made up of individual feeding divider pipes.

[0013] With the above configuration, when the breeding cages are stacked, the feeding pipes for each breeding cage are automatically connected. Therefore, there is no need to prepare pipes of different lengths according to the stacking order of each breeding cage in the stacked breeding cage set, and the preparation work for the feeding conduits of each breeding cage after stacking is simplified.

[0014] A fifth aspect of the present invention relates to a farming system configured by stacking a plurality of rearing cages facing a common normal direction, and a set of axes passing through the stacked rearing cage set in the vertical direction is assumed to be set at the same number of locations as the previous rearing cages in a plan view, and one of the locations at the bottom of the rearing cages facing the normal direction that the axes pass through is designated as a location where no bottom through-hole is formed, and the rearing cages facing the normal direction are configured such that the locations where no bottom through-holes are formed do not overlap vertically on the axis. When the arrangement of the areas on the bottom of each rearing cage where no bottom through-holes are formed is changed for each rearing cage, and the feeding conduit is positioned at the same location as the corresponding axis, each of the multiple rearing cages can be configured to include bottom through-holes provided at the remaining through-holes on the bottom of the rearing cage along the axis, excluding the areas where no bottom through-holes are formed, and a feeding division pipe that can become part of the feeding conduit, which is arranged between the bottoms of vertically adjacent rearing cages so as to correspond to the bottom through-holes.

[0015] With the above configuration, even if the stacking order of the breeding cages in the stacked breeding cage set is changed, feeding can be done without any problems, and the stacking work becomes easier.

[0016] A sixth aspect of the present invention relates to a farming system in which the rotation angle of the farming cage when the farming cage rotates once around its vertical axis is divided by the number of farming cages, and the rotation angle obtained is defined as a predetermined rotation angle. The stacked farming cage set is constructed by stacking the multiple farming cages such that the rotation angles of the farming cages are separated from each other by the predetermined rotation angle. The stacked farming cage set is arranged such that each is equidistant from a center point set at the center of the outer shape of the farming cage in a plan view, and the rotation angles of each are separated from each other by the predetermined rotation angle. If we assume that an axis passing downwards is set, and one of the points in the bottom of the rearing cage through which the axis passes is designated as a point where no bottom through-hole is formed, and the feeding conduit is positioned at the same location as the corresponding axis, then each of the multiple rearing cages can be configured to have bottom through-holes provided at the remaining points in the bottom of the rearing cage through which the axis passes, excluding the point where no bottom through-hole is formed, and a feeding division pipe that can become part of the feeding conduit, arranged between the bottoms of adjacent rearing cages vertically to correspond to the bottom through-hole.

[0017] With the above configuration, feeding can be performed without any problems even if the stacking order of the breeding cages in the stacked breeding cage set is changed, and the stacking work becomes easier. In addition, the multiple breeding cages that make up the stacked breeding cage set can each be of the same shape and dimensions.

[0018] A seventh aspect of the present invention relates to a farming system in which, in the farming cage set, at least the second or lower farming cages from the top are each equipped with a mesh ceiling plate that covers the containment chamber.

[0019] With the above configuration, the bottom of the breeding cage has numerous holes, allowing feces and other debris to fall from the mesh upper breeding cage to the bottom of the tank, preventing the accumulation of feces and other debris inside the breeding cage. This reduces the effort required for tank cleaning and prevents deterioration of water quality in the enclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1]It is a perspective view schematically showing a cultivation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a side view showing a part of the stacked cultivation cage set shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view schematically showing a stacked cultivation cage set included in a cultivation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view schematically showing a stacked cultivation cage set included in a cultivation system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view schematically showing a stacked cultivation cage set included in a cultivation system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a plan view showing a state where the ceiling plate of the cultivation cage shown in FIG. 5 is removed. [Figure 7] It is a plan view of the ceiling plate. [Figure 8] It is a cross-sectional view of stacked cultivation cages. [Figure 9] It is a cross-sectional view of a positioning mechanism and a mechanism for preventing the front and rear of the cultivation cage from being swapped. [Figure 10] It is an explanatory view of a feeding path when changing the stacking order of cultivation cages. [Figure 11] It is a perspective view schematically showing a stacked cultivation cage set included in a cultivation system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below are examples of a cultivation system for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to them. Also, this specification does not in any way identify the members shown in the claims with the members of the embodiments. In particular, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those, but are merely illustrative examples. Note that the sizes and positional relationships of the members shown in each drawing may be exaggerated for clarity of explanation. (First Embodiment)

[0022] Figures 1 and 2 show an aquaculture system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This aquaculture system 1 is for cultivating non-swimming aquatic animals and comprises a tank 2 that can be filled with rearing water W to a predetermined level for raising the aquatic animals A, a stacked rearing cage set 4 which is made up of multiple rearing cages 3 stacked on top of each other and can be immersed in the rearing water W in the tank 2, and a feeding pipe 5 for each rearing cage 3.

[0023] Tank 2 is a known tank capable of properly adjusting water quality such as dirt and dissolved oxygen concentration, as well as water temperature, water level, and flow rate. The rearing cage 3 has a chamber 31 for aquatic animals A inside. The feeding pipes 5 each reach the chamber 31 by penetrating the side portion 32 of the rearing cage 3 from a position higher than the water surface of the rearing water W in Tank 2, and can supply food F to the chamber 31 of the rearing cage 3.

[0024] In this embodiment, the aquatic animal A to be cultivated is a sea urchin. Seedlings for cultivation, approximately 2 cm in diameter, are obtained from a seedling production facility or the like and grown in a tank 2 until they reach a diameter of approximately 5 cm. The tank 2 is installed on land, and artificial breeding water W, which is fresh water mixed with salt to adjust to the required salinity, or natural seawater is used as the breeding water W. Seaweed such as wakame and vegetables such as cabbage are fed as feed F. As shown in Figure 1, the tank 2 contains four sets of stacked breeding cages 4, and each stacked breeding cage set 4 consists of five breeding cages 3 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0025] Figure 2 shows the stacked rearing cage set 4, omitting the first and second rearing cages 3 from the top, and also omitting the middle section of the rearing cage 3 in the left-right direction. The rearing cage 3 consists of a synthetic resin frame 33, a mesh member 35 attached to the frame 33 that covers the front, back, left, and right side portions 32 and the bottom portion 34, and a ceiling plate 36 placed on the top surface of the frame 33 to cover the opening on the top surface of the frame 33 that serves as the entrance for housing the aquatic animals A. It also has spacers 37 fixed to the four corners of the bottom surface of the frame 33 to maintain the required vertical spacing between the rearing cages 3.

[0026] The stacked breeding cage set 4 is equipped with a positioning mechanism 6 that prevents the stacked breeding cages 3 from shifting relative to each other in the front, back, left, and right directions. The positioning mechanism 6 consists of a downward-facing recess 61 and an upward-facing protrusion 62 on each breeding cage 3.

[0027] Each breeding cage 3 has a downward-facing recess 61 at its lower end and a protrusion 62 at its upper end, corresponding to the recess in a plan view. When the breeding cages 3 are stacked, the upward-facing protrusion 62 of the lower breeding cage 3 fits into the recess 61 of the upper breeding cage. The downward-facing recess 61 consists of holes formed in the lower surface of spacers 37 fixed to the four corners of the lower surface of the frame 33, and the upward-facing protrusion 62 consists of pins fixed to the upper surface of the frame 33 at a position corresponding to the downward-facing recess 61.

[0028] The feeding conduit 5 consists of a curved pipe 51 with one end attached to a base plate 33a fixed to the side of the frame 33 of the breeding cage 3 and the other end facing upward, and a pipe 52 with its lower end connected to the other end of the curved pipe 51. When the lower end of the pipe 52 is connected to the other end of the curved pipe 51, the upper end of the pipe 52 is long enough to protrude above the water surface of the breeding water W in the tank 2. The connection part 52a at the lower end of the pipe 52 and the connection part 51a at the other end of the curved pipe 51 are fitted with a gap. Therefore, the pipe 52 can be easily attached to and detached from the curved pipe 51.

[0029] When separating pipe 52 from curved pipe 51 and then reconnecting the pipe to curved pipe 51, it is advisable to mark the upper end of each pipe 52 with a number or color to indicate its connection point, in order to easily determine which curved pipe 51 of which rearing cage 3 in the stacked rearing cage set 4 it is connected to.

[0030] To cultivate sea urchins A using the aquaculture system 1 of the first embodiment configured as described above, the stacked rearing cage set 4 should be removed from the tank 2 beforehand, the multiple rearing cages 3 that make up the stacked rearing cage set 4 should be separated, and the pipe 52 of the feeding conduit 5 should be removed from the curved pipe 51. Also, sea urchin seedlings should be obtained.

[0031] Next, the required number of sea urchin seedlings A are placed into each rearing cage 3. To do this, the ceiling plate 36, which serves as the lid of the rearing cage 3, is removed from the rearing cage 3, the sea urchin seedlings A are placed into the storage chamber 31 through the storage opening on the top, and then the ceiling plate 36 is reattached to the top surface of the frame 33 to cover the storage opening.

[0032] Next, the rearing cages 3 containing the seedlings A are stacked in sets of five to form a stacked rearing cage set 4. At this time, the downward-facing recess 61 of the upper rearing cage 3 is fitted into the upward-facing protrusion 62 of the lower rearing cage 3 of the adjacent rearing cages 3.

[0033] Next, the stacked rearing cage set 4 is placed in the required position in the tank 2 filled with rearing water W. At this time, in order to handle the five rearing cages 3 that make up the stacked rearing cage set 4 stably as a whole, it is advisable to tie and connect the five rearing cages 3 together, for example with binding string, and then place the stacked rearing cage set 4 into the tank 2 using a hoist or the like.

[0034] Next, a pipe 52 is attached to the curved pipe 51 for each of the three breeding cages.

[0035] After the stacked rearing cages 4 are installed in the tank 2, the water quality, temperature, and water level of the rearing water W in the tank 2 are maintained appropriately, and the food F is supplied to the housing chambers 31 of each rearing cage 3 through the feeding conduit 5 by putting food F into the hole at the upper end of the pipe 52 periodically or as needed.

[0036] When the sea urchin A in the containment chamber 31 of the breeding cage grows to the desired size, the stacked breeding cage set 4 is removed from the tank 2, the stacked breeding cages 3 are separated, the ceiling board 36 of the breeding cage 3 is removed, and the grown sea urchin A is taken out of the containment chamber 31. It is advisable to remove the pipe 52 before removing the stacked breeding cage set 4 from the tank 2. (Second embodiment)

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a stacked rearing cage set 4 of the aquaculture system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 3, a portion of the rearing cage 3 is shown cut away. The feeding pipe 5 in the cut-away portion is shown with a solid line along its entire length.

[0038] The aquaculture system 1 of the second embodiment differs from the aquaculture system 1 of the first embodiment mainly in that the feeding pipes 5 provided in the rearing cages 3 of the stacked rearing cage set 4 do not penetrate the side portions of the rearing cages 3, but rather penetrate the rearing cages 3 in the vertical direction. The stacked rearing cage set 4 is constructed by stacking multiple rearing cages 3 such that their front faces 3a each face the same direction. The front of each rearing cage 3 is the side of the rearing cage 3 facing the direction indicated by arrow A1 in Figure 3, and a rearing cage 3 facing in this manner is a rearing cage 3 that is facing the correct direction.

[0039] In this embodiment, the stacked rearing cage set 4 consists of four rearing cages 3 stacked on top of each other. The feeding conduits 5 provided in each of the rearing cages 3 from the second cage down from the top are arranged at the required intervals from each other in a plan view and each extends vertically. These feeding conduits 5 penetrate the rearing cage 3 that is higher than the corresponding rearing cage 3 and reach the housing chamber of the corresponding rearing cage 3. In Figure 3, the feeding conduits 5 provided in each rearing cage 3 are numbered No. 1 to No. 4 in order of the height of the rearing cage 3 when the rearing cage 3 that is paired with it is stacked.

[0040] Each rearing cage 3 has a ceiling plate 36 that serves as a lid. Feeding conduit 5 No. 1 penetrates the ceiling plate 36 of the first rearing cage 3 from the top and reaches the containment chamber 31 of the first rearing cage 3 from the top. Feeding conduit 5 No. 2 penetrates the ceiling plates 36 of the first rearing cage 3 from the top and the second rearing cage 3 from the top and reaches the containment chamber 31 of the second rearing cage 3 from the top. Feeding conduit 5 No. 3 penetrates the ceiling plates 36 of the first and second rearing cages 3 from the top and the third rearing cage 3 from the top, respectively, and reaches the containment chamber 31 of the third rearing cage 3 from the top. Feeding conduit 5 No. 4 penetrates the ceiling plates 36 of the first, second and third rearing cages 3 from the top and the fourth rearing cage 3 from the top, respectively, and reaches the containment chamber 31 of the fourth rearing cage 3 from the top.

[0041] Each feeding conduit 5 consists of a single pipe 52 of different lengths. This pipe 52 is attached to the stacked rearing cage set 4 after the aquatic animals A have been placed in each rearing chamber 31 and the stacked rearing cage set 4 is completed. When the stacked rearing cage set 4 is placed in the tank 2, if the top plate 36 of the first rearing cage 3 from the top is above the water surface of the rearing water W, only a hole that penetrates the top plate 36 may be provided, and this may be used as the feeding conduit 5.

[0042] In this stacked breeding cage set 4, each of the four breeding cages 3 has a predetermined front side (front, back, left, or right) and a predetermined stacking order. The cages must be stacked in order so that the fronts of each cage are aligned. For example, the side that becomes the front 3a of a breeding cage is marked (not shown) with letters or color indicating the stacking order and the front. (Third embodiment)

[0043] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a stacked rearing cage set of the aquaculture system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 4, a portion of the rearing cage 3 is cut out, similar to Figure 3. The feeding pipe 5 in the cut-out portion is shown with a solid line along its entire length.

[0044] The third embodiment of the aquaculture system 1 differs from the second embodiment of the aquaculture system 1 mainly in that the portion of the feeding pipeline 5 between the bottoms 34 of the stacked rearing cages 3 is composed of individual feeding divider pipes 55. In this case, the feeding pipeline 5 consists of an inner pipe 53 and an outer pipe 54. The inner pipe 53 is installed inside the rearing cage 3, and the outer pipe 54 is installed between the bottom 34 of the upper rearing cage 3 and the ceiling plate 36 of the lower rearing cage 3 of two adjacent rearing cages 3.

[0045] In the aquaculture system 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the stacked rearing cage set 4 is not limited to being constructed by stacking four rearing cages 3, but may be constructed by stacking two or more rearing cages 3. (Fourth embodiment)

[0046] Figures 5 to 10 show a stacked rearing cage set included in the aquaculture system 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the stacked rearing cage set 4 of the aquaculture system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 5, as in Figure 3, a portion of the rearing cage 3 has been cut out, and each feeding pipe 5 in the cut-out portion is shown by a solid line along its entire length. Figure 6 is a plan view showing the rearing cage 3 with the ceiling plate 36 removed, and Figure 7 is a plan view of the ceiling plate 36. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the first and second rearing cages 3 from the top of the four rearing cages 3 that make up the stacked rearing cage set 4, and shows the cross-section along the cutting line A2-A2 shown in Figure 6 in the direction of the arrow.

[0047] The fourth embodiment of the aquaculture system 1 differs from the third embodiment mainly in that, when stacking multiple breeding cages 3 to complete a stacked breeding cage set 4, it is configured so that there is no problem even if the order in which the breeding cages 3 are stacked is changed.

[0048] As shown in Figure 6, the outer shape of the rearing cage 3 in plan view is rectangular, and when the rearing cage 3 is rotated 180 degrees around a vertical axis passing through its center point C, the outer shape after rotation perfectly overlaps with the original outer shape, resulting in a point-symmetrical shape. The feeding conduit 5 is also arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center point C. The ceiling plate 36 shown in Figure 7 is also point-symmetrical with respect to the center point C, and when this ceiling plate 36 is attached to the rearing cage 3, the center point C of the ceiling plate 36 coincides with the center point C of the rearing cage 3. The feeding conduit 5 is also arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center point C. In this embodiment, the rearing cage 3 is made of synthetic resin, and the ceiling plate 36 is made of mesh-like synthetic resin. The rearing cage 3 also has spacers 37 fixed to the four corners of its upper surface to maintain the gap between it and the rearing cage 3 stacked directly above it.

[0049] The stacked breeding cage set 4 is equipped with a positioning mechanism 6 that prevents the stacked breeding cages 3 from shifting relative to each other in the front, back, left, and right directions. The stacked breeding cage set 4 is also equipped with a mechanism 7 that prevents the front of a breeding cage 3 from being stacked on top of an already stacked breeding cage 3 unless its front is facing the correct direction.

[0050] The four feeding conduits 5 are arranged so that their respective positions in a plan view are point-symmetric with respect to the center point C. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, four ceiling penetration holes 56 are formed in the ceiling board 36 at positions corresponding to each of the feeding conduits 5. Also, as shown in Figure 6, bottom penetration holes 57 are formed in the bottom 34 of the rearing cage 3 at positions corresponding to three of the four ceiling penetration holes 56.

[0051] As shown in Figure 8, an inner pipe 53 is provided between the inner bottom 34 and the top plate 36 of the breeding cage 3, and an outer pipe 54 is provided between the top plate 36 of the lower breeding cage 3 and the bottom surface of the upper breeding cage 3 of two adjacent breeding cages 3 located one above the other.

[0052] The inner pipe 53 is held in place by an inner pipe holder 58 fixed to the bottom 34 around the bottom through-hole 57, and the outer pipe 54 is held in place by an outer pipe holder 59 fixed to the ceiling plate 36 around the ceiling through-hole 56.

[0053] In the first breeding cage 3 from the top, the bottom 34 does not have a bottom through-hole 57 in the part corresponding to the ceiling through-hole 56 of the feeding pipe 5 (No. 1). Similarly, in the second breeding cage 3 from the top, the bottom 34 does not have a bottom through-hole 57 in the part corresponding to the ceiling through-hole 56 of the feeding pipe 5 (No. 2). Likewise, in the third breeding cage 3 from the top, the bottom 34 does not have a bottom through-hole 57 in the part corresponding to the ceiling through-hole 56 of the feeding pipe 5 (No. 3), and in the fourth breeding cage 3 from the top, the bottom 34 does not have a bottom through-hole 57 in the part corresponding to the ceiling through-hole 56 of the feeding pipe 5 (No. 2).

[0054] As shown in Figure 9, the positioning mechanism 6 consists of a downward-facing protrusion 62, which is square in shape when viewed from above, formed along the lower surface of the edge of the bottom 34 of the breeding cage 3, and an upward-facing recess 61 that receives the downward-facing protrusion 62. The recess 61 consists of a void surrounded by four spacers 37. When the breeding cages 3 are stacked, the inner sides of the spacers 37 engage with the outer sides of the downward-facing protrusion 62, thereby positioning the upper breeding cage 3 on top of the lower breeding cage 3.

[0055] The mechanism 7 for preventing the rearing cage from being reversed, as shown in Figure 9, consists of a hole 71 formed in the bottom 34 of the rearing cage 3 and a pin 72 that protrudes from the top surface of the rearing cage 3 and fits into the hole 71. As shown in Figure 6, the hole 71 is formed in only one of the four corners of the bottom 34 of the rearing cage 3. The four corners of the bottom 34 are reinforced with reinforcing plates 73. Since the rearing cage 3 has a point-symmetric shape with respect to the center point C, it can be stacked with its front and back reversed. There is no problem even if the front and back of all four rearing cages 3 are reversed, but if any one of the four is stacked with its front and back reversed, the portion of the bottom 34 of the rearing cage 3 that does not have a bottom through hole 57 will overlap vertically on the axis x of the feeding conduit 5, and feeding will not be possible. Therefore, in order to reliably prevent the rearrangement of the rearing cages 3 when stacking them, this embodiment is equipped with a mechanism 7 to prevent the rearrangement of the rearing cages 3. If the front of the upper rearing cage 3 that is to be stacked on the lower rearing cage 3 is facing the correct direction, as shown in Figure 9, the pin 72 fits into the hole 71 and the upper rearing cage 3 can be correctly placed on top of the lower rearing cage 3. However, if the front and back of the upper rearing cage 3 are reversed, the upper end of the lower pin 72 hits the reinforcing plate 73 of the upper bottom 34, causing the upper rearing cage 3 to be lifted by the pin, and the convex part 62 does not fit into the concave part 61 of the positioning mechanism. As a result, the worker can notice if the rearrangement of the rearing cages 3 has occurred.

[0056] Next, referring to Figure 10, we will give an example of changing the stacking order of the four rearing cages 3 shown in Figure 5, and explain the feeding route before and after the change. In Figure 10, (a) is a schematic plan view of the stacked rearing cage set 4, and (b) is a schematic plan view of the rearing cage 3. The pipes P01, P02, P03, and P04 shown in Figure 10(a) are located above the top ceiling board 36, and food is put in through the feeding holes at the top of each. The rearing cages 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D shown on the left side of Figure 10(b) are located in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th positions from the top in the stacked rearing cage set 4. At this time, feed F is supplied to each of the following cages: cage 3A via pipe P01, cage 3B via pipes P02 and PA2, cage 3C via pipes P03, PA3 and PB3, and cage 3D via pipes P04, PA4, PB4 and PC4.

[0057] Then, as shown on the right side of Figure 10(b), if the stacking order of the three breeding cages is changed so that cages 3C, 3B, 3D, and 3A are positioned 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th from the top, then feed F is supplied to breeding cage 3C via pipe P03, to breeding cage 3B via pipes P02 and PA2, to breeding cage 3D via pipes P04, PC4, and PB3, and to breeding cage 3A via pipes P01, PB1, and PD1. Therefore, even if the stacking order of the three breeding cages is changed, feed F is supplied from pipe P01 to breeding cage 3A, from pipe P02 to breeding cage 3B, from pipe P03 to breeding cage 3C, and from pipe P04 to breeding cage 3D, just as it was before the stacking order of the three breeding cages was changed.

[0058] The stacked rearing cage set 4 shown in Figure 5 consists of four rearing cages 3 stacked on top of each other, but it may also consist of, for example, five rearing cages 3 stacked on top of each other. In that case, another rearing cage 3 is added on top of the stacked rearing cage set 4 shown in Figure 5. This rearing cage 3 has four bottom through-holes 57 formed in the bottom 34 of the rearing cage 3 to correspond to the feeding conduits 5 of No. 1 to No. 4, and is also provided with a feeding divider pipe 55. In addition, a ceiling through-hole 56 is formed in the ceiling plate 36 for feeding the housing chamber 31 of the additional rearing cage 3, which becomes the feeding conduit 5 of No. 5. The additional rearing cage 3 is always placed in the top position. To explain this additional breeding cage 3 in more detail, for example, a bottom through-hole 57 is formed in the bottom 34 of the breeding cage 3 shown in Figure 6 to correspond to the feeding conduit 5 of No. 1, and an inner pipe 53 is placed in the bottom through-hole 57, and that inner pipe 53 is held in place by an inner pipe holder 58 in the same way as the other inner pipes 53. Furthermore, the feeding conduit 5 for the additional breeding cage 3 is placed, for example, at the center point C shown in Figure 7, a ceiling through-hole 56 is formed in the ceiling plate 36, an outer pipe 54 is placed to correspond to the ceiling through-hole 56, and that outer pipe 54 is held in place by an outer pipe holder 59 in the same way as the other outer pipes 54.

[0059] Furthermore, if the stacked breeding cage set 4 is constructed by stacking n breeding cages 3 on top of each other, then, assuming n axes x are set in a plan view and penetrate the stacked breeding cage set 4 vertically, one of the points where the axes x penetrate the bottom 34 of the breeding cage 3 facing the normal direction is designated as a point P where the bottom through hole is not formed, and the points P where the bottom through hole is not formed on the bottom 34 of the breeding cage 3 facing the normal direction are set so that they do not overlap vertically on the axis x. When the arrangement of points P is changed for each of the three rearing cages, and the feeding conduit 5 is arranged along all but one of the n axes x, each of the n rearing cages 3 will have bottom through-holes 57 provided at the remaining through-holes in the bottom 34 of the rearing cage 3, excluding the locations P where bottom through-holes are not formed, and feeding division pipes 55 which can become part of the feeding conduit 5, arranged between the bottoms 34 of adjacent rearing cages 3 vertically to correspond to the bottom through-holes 57. (Fifth embodiment)

[0060] Figure 11 shows a stacked rearing cage set included in the aquaculture system 1 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The aquaculture system 1 of the fifth embodiment differs from the fourth embodiment in that, when a stacked rearing cage set 4 is completed by stacking multiple rearing cages 3, the stacked rearing cage set 4 is constructed by stacking multiple rearing cages 3 so that each cage faces a predetermined rotational angle relative to the others.

[0061] The stacked rearing cage set 4 is constructed by stacking four rearing cages 3, and each rearing cage 3 receives food from a feeding conduit 5 provided in each rearing cage 3. The stacked rearing cage set 4 is constructed by stacking four rearing cages 3 such that the rotation angles of the rearing cages 3 are separated by 90 degrees from each other. In plan view, the outer shape of the rearing cage 3 is square, and the feeding conduits 5 are each equidistant from a center point C set at the center of the outer shape of the rearing cage 3.

[0062] Furthermore, if the stacked breeding cage set 4 consists of n breeding cages 3, the rotation angle of the breeding cage 3 when it rotates once around its vertical axis (180 degrees) is divided by the number of breeding cages 3, and the rotation angle obtained is defined as the predetermined rotation angle θ. The stacked breeding cage set 4 is constructed by stacking n breeding cages 3 such that the rotation angles of the breeding cages 3 are separated from each other by the predetermined rotation angle θ, and each cage is equidistant from the center point C set at the center of the outer shape of the breeding cage 3 in a plan view. Furthermore, assuming that n axes x penetrate the stacked breeding cage set 4 vertically, with each of the n breeding cages 3 positioned at predetermined rotational angles θ apart from one another, each of the n breeding cages 3 is provided with bottom through-holes 57 at the remaining penetration points of the bottom 34 of the breeding cage 3 by the axes x, excluding the points P where bottom through-holes are not formed, and a feeding division pipe 55 which can become part of a feeding conduit 5, is provided between the bottom 34s of vertically adjacent breeding cages 3 to correspond to the bottom through-holes 57. The external shape of the breeding cage 3 in plan view may be, for example, a regular pentagon, a regular hexagon, or a circle, depending on the number of breeding cages 3 that make up the stacked breeding cage set 4.

[0063] The aquaculture system of the present invention can be used not only for sea urchins but also for echinoderms such as sea cucumbers, shellfish such as abalone, and non-swimming shrimp. Furthermore, to maintain proper water quality, the tanks can be selected from various types, such as a flow-through system that drains contaminated water by supplying fresh water, a closed-circulation system that filters and sterilizes contaminated water for reuse, or a semi-closed-circulation system that maintains water quality in a closed-circulation system while removing components that cause water deterioration through water changes. The tanks themselves can be made of FRP, assembled from a frame of pipes and a synthetic resin film sheet, or concrete. The rearing cages are not limited to synthetic resin but may be made of metal such as stainless steel. The ceiling panels are not limited to those with numerous holes but may be solid plates that do not allow feces to pass through. Furthermore, it is advisable to install an aeration system inside each rearing cage to agitate the feed and prevent the accumulation of leftover feed and excrement. This ensures that the feed is agitated and dispersed throughout the cage after being supplied, and that leftover feed and excrement do not remain inside the cage but pass through the mesh and settle at the bottom of the aquaculture tank. Additionally, if it is not possible to adequately observe the organisms inside the rearing cages, it is advisable to have a system in place to detect the death of organisms in the rearing cages by monitoring the ammonia nitrogen concentration, or in the case of sea urchins, by monitoring the amount of saponin or the generation of saponin-induced bubbles. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 1…Aquaculture system 2… Aquarium 3... Rearing cage; 31... Containment chamber; 32... Side section; 33... Frame; 33a... Seat board; 34... Bottom; 35... Mesh component; 36... Ceiling board; 37... Spacer; 3a... Front of rearing cage 4…Stackable breeding cage set 5...Feeding conduit; 51...Bend; 51a...Connection; 52...Pipe; 52a...Connection; 53...Inner pipe; 54...Outer pipe; 55...Feeding divided pipe; 56...Ceiling penetration hole; 57...Bottom penetration hole; 58...Inner pipe holder; 59...Outer pipe holder 6...Positioning mechanism; 61...Recess; 62...Convex part 7...Mechanism to prevent front-to-back reversal; 71...Hole; 72...Pin; 73...Reinforcement plate A...Aquatic animals (sea bile) C...center point F…Bait P...Position where bottom through hole is not formed W...Aquarium water x…Axis line θ... predetermined rotation angle

Claims

1. A farming system for cultivating aquatic animals that do not swim, A tank capable of holding water for raising the aquatic animals up to a predetermined level, A set of one or more stacked rearing cages, each having a chamber for housing the aquatic animals inside, which can be immersed in the rearing water in the tank, A feeding conduit is provided in each of the aforementioned rearing cages, which extends from a position higher than the water level of the rearing water in the tank, through the side portion of the rearing cage, and reaches the containment chamber. A farming system characterized by comprising the following features.

2. A farming system according to claim 1, The feeding conduit consists of a curved pipe with one end attached to the side of the rearing cage and the other end pointing upward, and a pipe whose lower end is connected to the other end of the curved pipe. The lower end of the pipe and the other end of the curved pipe are detachably connected. The aquaculture system is characterized in that when the lower end of the pipe is connected to the other end of the curved pipe, the upper end of the pipe has a length such that it protrudes above the water surface of the rearing water in the tank.

3. A farming system for cultivating aquatic animals that do not swim, A tank capable of holding water for raising the aquatic animals up to a predetermined level, A set of one or more stacked rearing cages, each having a chamber for housing the aquatic animals inside, which can be immersed in the rearing water in the tank, A feeding conduit is provided in each of the breeding cages, at least the second cage from the top, which is arranged with a required distance between them in a plan view, and which extends downward from the top of the stacked breeding cage set and reaches the containment chamber of the breeding cage. A farming system characterized by comprising the following features.

4. The aquaculture system according to claim 3, The portion of the feeding pipeline between the bottoms of the stacked rearing cages is composed of individual feeding divider pipes, forming an aquaculture system.

5. The aquaculture system according to claim 3, The aforementioned stacked breeding cage set is constructed by stacking the multiple breeding cages in a regular direction common to all of them, In a plan view, an axis is tentatively set that penetrates the stacked breeding cage set vertically, with the same number of locations as the aforementioned breeding cages. One of the points through which the axis penetrates the bottom of the breeding cage, which is oriented in the normal direction, is designated as a point where a bottom through-hole is not formed. To ensure that the areas where the bottom through-holes are not formed do not overlap vertically on the axis, the arrangement of the areas where the bottom through-holes are not formed on the bottom of the breeding cage facing the normal direction is changed for each breeding cage. When the feeding pipeline is positioned at the same location as the corresponding axis, Each of the aforementioned multiple breeding cages is The bottom through-holes provided at the remaining through-holes in the bottom of the breeding cage, excluding the locations where the bottom through-holes are not formed, A feeding division pipe, which can become part of the feeding conduit, is arranged between the bottoms of adjacent breeding cages, corresponding to the bottom through-hole, and A farming system characterized by comprising the following features.

6. The aquaculture system according to claim 3, The rotation angle obtained by dividing the rotation angle of the breeding cage when it rotates once around its vertical axis by the number of breeding cages is defined as the predetermined rotation angle. The stacked breeding cage set is constructed by stacking the multiple breeding cages such that their rotation angles are separated from each other by a predetermined rotation angle. Assuming that axes are set to penetrate the stacked breeding cage set vertically, each axis is equidistant from a center point set at the center of the outer shape of the breeding cage in a plan view, and is arranged with a predetermined rotation angle separating them from each other, One of the points through which the axis penetrates the bottom of the aforementioned breeding cage is designated as a point where no bottom through-hole is formed. When the feeding pipeline is positioned at the same location as the corresponding axis, Each of the aforementioned multiple breeding cages is The bottom through-holes provided at the remaining through-holes in the bottom of the breeding cage, excluding the locations where the bottom through-holes are not formed, A feeding division pipe, which can become part of the feeding conduit, is arranged between the bottoms of adjacent breeding cages, corresponding to the bottom through-hole, and A farming system characterized by comprising the following features.

7. The aquaculture system according to claim 3, The aquaculture system is characterized in that, in the aforementioned breeding cage set, at least the second cage from the top and below are each equipped with a mesh ceiling plate that covers the containment chamber.

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