Modular Aquatic Habitat with Removable Protective Cage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular assemblies for protecting fish fry and benthic organisms face challenges in maintenance, particularly the removal of epiphytes which obstruct entry, requiring the entire structure to be removed from the water, thereby sacrificing benthic communities.
Innovation Solution
A modular assembly with a reversible protective structure that can be removed for cleaning while maintaining the habitat for benthic organisms, featuring a living cage with a tighter mesh to retain materials and a protective structure with a larger mesh to allow fish entry, allowing for periodic cleaning without disrupting the benthic community.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the protective structure is cleaned by removing the entire housing module, then epiphytes are removed, but the benthic communities are sacrificed
Solution Approach 1:
The housing module is divided into two separable parts: a protective structure (mesh cage) and a habitation module (rockfill compartment). This segmentation allows the protective structure to be removed for cleaning while leaving the habitation module and its benthic communities intact in the water column.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure is extracted as a separate removable component from the habitation module. This extraction enables the protective structure to be taken out for cleaning operations without removing or damaging the benthic communities that have established in the rockfill material.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the protective structure is made permanent, then fish protection is continuous, but cleaning becomes impossible without sacrificing benthic organisms
Solution Approach 1:
The protective structure transitions from a permanent fixed state to a dynamic removable state. It can be permanently installed to provide continuous protection during fish recruitment, yet can be dynamically removed when cleaning is required, and reinstalled after cleaning to resume protection.
3Ease of operation
If the mesh size is large enough to allow fish entry, then fish can enter easily, but epiphytes can also settle and obstruct entry
Solution Approach 1:
The protective structure undergoes periodic removal and cleaning cycles. During recruitment periods, it remains in place to protect fish. During non-recruitment periods, it is removed for cleaning to eliminate epiphyte obstructions, then reinstalled to resume protection, creating a periodic cycle that balances both needs.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a modular assembly (10, 20) for fry and other aquatic organisms comprising at least one support (11, 21) of materials forming reliefs, materials (9) forming reliefs liable to encourage the growth of the fry and aquatic organisms, said materials being arranged with the material support (11, 21) so as to define a zone in which the fry and aquatic organisms can live, and at least one protective structure (12, 22, 23) comprising mesh walls delimiting an empty volume, said protective structure being fixed removably to the material support (11, 21) and arranged therewith in such a way as to establish a protective zone protecting the living zone. The protective structure (12, 22, 23) thus constitutes a temporary structure of the modular assembly (10, 20) used only during the period of recruiting juveniles and postlarvae.