Sorting With a Conveyor Belt
Tumbling and sorting tends to take up a big chunk of any oyster farmer’s time. At Ferda Farms they modified their tumbler to make this job flow a bit faster and feel a bit easier. They previously had to dump each bag of oysters directly into the tumbling tube, which was an awkward job because they needed to lift each bag to shoulder height. By adding a hopper that automatically brings oysters up to the tumbler, bags can be dumped out at waist height, which is a far easier and quicker task.
Sorting market-sized oysters by standing at the sorting table for hours is not only dull, but also pretty emotionally exhausting. To cut back on the time needed at the sorting table, Ferda Farms decided to sort oysters directly after they come out of the tumbler instead. When oysters exit the tumbler, they fall onto a short conveyor belt so that the Ferda Farms employees can pull out the market-sized oysters as they go by. Gone are the days of dumping crates of tumbled oysters onto the table and moving them around by hand. By using the conveyor to move oysters around, Ferda Farms significantly reduces both the time and effort required to sort out their market-sized oysters.
Harvesting with the Cage Holder
At Ferda Farms, they use a specially designed cage holder to hold their cages steady while harvesting. The holder is made of a wooden box that slides over the gunwale of the boat with two protruding eye bolts that hold the cage out of the water. Even on windy or high-wave days, it holds the boat and cages together so one person can harvest or deploy bags without too much difficulty. This system works particularly well for Ferda Farms because the holder is completely removable, so it keeps the cages from scuffing up the gunwale of their boat and doesn’t get in the way of docking.
The Specialized Sorting Table
After culling and sorting the oysters that came out of their tumbler, the smaller oysters have to go back into bags to continue growing. The sorting table on Ferda Farms’ float is designed to make this as easy as possible. When filling bags with oysters, workers have to sweep oysters off the table and into bags. Their table is designed with a cut-out in the side so they don’t have to worry about spilling oysters onto the floor.
Innovations articles highlight creative devices or methods on aquaculture farms. They are informed by farm visits and interviews with experienced growers. See our About page for more information.