November 26, 2020

Solar Oysters constructs new floatovoltaic oyster aquaculture system

Aquaculture start-up Solar Oysters has constructed an automated "floatovoltaic" oyster production system at Chesapeake Bay, United States that can produce up to 2.4 million oysters using 45 times less space compared to traditional oyster production systems, Fish Information & Services reported.

The "floatovoltaic" system was developed through a joint venture with Maritime Applied Physics Corporation and the EcoLogix Group. The new system has been advanced by a Maryland Industrial Partnership grant with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Mark Rice, principal of Solar Oysters, said oysters benefit Chesapeake Bay by removing nitrogen and phosphorus in the water. He said the oysters in their biggest unit are able to filter up to 43 billion gallons of water annually, at the same time offsetting the nitrogen load from 2852 acres of land.

Solar Oysters is the result of a partnership between engineering firm Maritime Applied Physics Corporation and aquaculture-focused environmental consultancy EcoLogix Group. The Solar Oyster Production System was initially developed to automate oyster aquaculture using naval technology. The system is now patent pending.

- Fish Information & Services