Fish Egg Incubation Tray with Perforated Outer Cover for Stream Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The decline of native Atlantic salmon populations due to river pollution, habitat degradation, and barriers like dams makes it difficult to replicate the natural redd environment for fish eggs, alevins, and fry, hindering the re-establishment of sustainable fish populations in rivers.
Innovation Solution
A covered incubation tray housed within an outer protective assembly that allows controlled water flow and prevents silt buildup, providing a protected environment for fish to grow from eggs to fry stage, mimicking natural conditions and protecting against predators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fertilized fish eggs are placed in a natural river environment, then the fish can grow in a natural habitat, but the eggs are vulnerable to predators, pollution, and habitat degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary protective structure (incubation tray with outer cover assembly) that mediates between the vulnerable fish eggs and the harmful natural river environment. The tray provides physical protection from predators while allowing controlled water flow and microbial access, effectively filtering out harmful elements while maintaining beneficial natural conditions for egg development.
Solution Approach 2:
The incubation tray utilizes a mesh or perforated structure that acts as a flexible protective shell. This thin film structure allows water and microorganisms to pass through while providing physical protection, creating a selective barrier that protects eggs from predators and pollution but permits essential environmental interactions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fertilized fish eggs are buried in gravel to replicate natural redd environment, then the eggs are protected, but it is too labor intensive and lacks scale to re-establish sustainable fish populations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an artificial copy of the natural redd environment by designing an incubation tray that replicates the protective function of gravel burial without requiring manual gravel placement. The tray structure mimics the protective enclosure of a redd while eliminating the labor-intensive process of digging and filling gravel, allowing scalable deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The incubation system is segmented into modular trays that can be independently deployed and managed. Each tray is a self-contained unit that replicates the protective function of a natural redd, allowing multiple units to be placed throughout a river system to achieve population re-establishment at scale without proportionally increasing labor intensity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fertilized fish eggs are placed in a protected incubation tray, then protection from predators is provided, but controlled water flow and prevention of silt buildup must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The incubation tray design incorporates hydraulic principles by utilizing natural water flow to pass through the mesh structure and provide oxygenation and waste removal. The tray's perforated design allows water to flow through without requiring active pumping or complex flow control mechanisms, maintaining ease of operation while providing necessary water exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The incubation tray utilizes porous or perforated mesh materials that allow water and dissolved oxygen to pass through while preventing silt and sediment from accumulating around the eggs. The porous structure maintains protection from predators while facilitating natural water flow and preventing clogging.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves a high success rate of fish growth from eggs to fry stage, facilitating the re-establishment of salmon populations in rivers, with over 99% of eggs reaching the fry stage, and allows for easy monitoring and timely release of fry into the river.
Implementation Method 1
The outer assembly is designed to allow water to flow into the incubation tray so there is microbic food and a more natural environment for growth
Implementation Method 2
The outer assembly is designed to manage water flow around the incubation tray and prevent silt build up
Data Source
AI summary
The embodied invention utilizes an incubation tray that is housed inside an outer assembly that protects incubating fish in the initial stages of their life cycle. The outer assembly is designed to allow water to flow into the incubation tray so there is a more natural environment for growth, and yet provide robust protection against predators. The outer assembly is designed to manage water flow around the incubation tray and prevent silt build up and ensure a stable position in a river. The goal is to re-establish a critical amount of new fish in a river where they have become sparce or extinct.