HK1026341B - Method of increasing seafood production in the barren ocean - Google Patents

Description

Method for improving yield of edible aquatic products of barren oceans by fertilizing

Background

The invention belongs to the field of marine product production.

The earliest human history showed us hunters-collectors who occupied land for their own lives. These hunters-acquirers are only part of the natural scene and not the intended reformers of the natural scene. Approximately in the middle east 7000-8000 years ago, this scene changed with domestication of wild animals such as cows, pigs, goats, sheep and dogs. At that point, our ancestors began grazing their family animals to the best pasture as the seasons and conditions varied. Our ancestors continuously hunt and collect food, and find grazing can produce more. This tendency is sustained by domesticating horses in arid regions of western asia.

Approximately 5500 years ago, a new creativity has pushed the world that has become open afterwards. This creativity is a wood board molded plow, which increases the farmer's productivity by about 7 times. It also changes the way we take care of the land, receiving active intervention from passive. This change results in the growing of particularly favoured cereals without accepting other plants already grown there. Our ancestors also began to add water and nutrients to the soil in order to further increase productivity.

These transitions are not always smooth or undisputed. For many years, free-range areas have existed in the western united states. At that time, some people were struggling against fences, roads, houses, farms and railways. They argue that the free grazing area is invaded immediately after the city and think that they are correct.

Although such transitions have made significant progress in land that ultimately increases production by approximately two thousand fold, they have rarely begun on oceans that cover almost three quarters of the earth's surface. The same return will be achieved by the same change in the capacity of the ocean.

For many years, men and women in the world have become aware that there has been a tremendous change in the production of different areas of the ocean and other bodies of water. Recently, the extent of this change has been measured and the cause thereof has been determined. It is now known that about 60% of all organisms in the ocean are produced by 2% of the ocean surface. Thus, the ocean can be considered as a vast barren desert with only a few verdant areas where organisms are abundant. These verdant zones are easily interspersed. For most ocean surfaces, you can see through water to a depth of about 150 and 300 feet (about 46-91 meters) when you look at the gulf stream of mexico. In contrast, in the rich areas of the ocean, you can only see through the water a few feet because of the density of the living matter in the water. This is the case of natural surge in the coast of peru.

Samples are taken from these rich regions, as well as from other regions of the ocean. The difference between the two is measured. The sea-rich zones are rich in iron, phosphorus, nitrogen and trace minerals, while the sea-lean portions are deficient in one or more of these elements. These nutrient elements are necessary to obtain the maximum production of water from a given marine area. The nutrients present in different areas of the ocean surface vary considerably and must be sampled for analysis in order to ascertain the exact content of nutrients necessary to obtain the Peru surge production.

Oceans differ from land for several reasons: (1) the sea never contains drought period; (2) the ocean is flowing; and (3) ocean mixing in both vertical and horizontal directions. The first difference means that the sea requires less ingredients for the purpose of improved production. The second difference is that the fertilization is performed at a considerable distance from the site where the aquatic products are harvested. A third difference is that the fertilization must be performed on a large scale or that it is not possible to find the result of the fertilization.

Summary of The Invention

Methods for improving the yield of aquatic products in open ocean areas have been achieved by (1) having to examine the ocean's surface seawater in order to determine the absence or low concentration of nutrients, (2) fertilizing the ocean with fertilizers that can release appropriate amounts of the nutrients from time to time and in a form that keeps phytoplankton available (e.g., nutrients should not leave the photic zone due to precipitation to any substantial degree), (3) sowing advantageous phytoplankton and fish in the fertilized ocean and (4) harvesting the aquatic products produced by the fertilization. To ascertain that sea water is deficient in nutrients to a significant extent, detection may be accomplished by any of a number of methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. If the yield of the water product is reduced to a significant extent due to the nutrient content in the seawater, the nutrients are lacking to a significant extent. An appropriate amount of nutrient deficiency is an amount that increases the ocean surface nutrient concentration so that the yield of the aquatic product is no longer reduced to a significant degree by the concentration of the nutrient.

To increase the yield of edible water products and fertilize barren oceans, a fertilizer system containing one or more fertilizers may be employed. If the seawater is deficient in nitrate, the fertilizer should contain nitrogen-fixing microbial populations, such as blue green algae and phytoplankton (e.g., trichodesmum) capable of fixing nitrogen in open seas, as well as nutrients sufficient to cause the microbial populations to be villous, provided they are deficient or at too low a concentration. The added iron is the only nutrient necessary to cause the down-scaling and nitrogen fixation of the blue-green algae and phytoplankton (e.g., Synechocystis), and the iron must be added in a form that protects the iron from reaction with seawater so that the iron does not precipitate and remains in the photic zone where it fertilizes the marine plant life. This is preferably done by adding iron in the form of a chelating agent. If desired, the chelating agent is added in the form of slow release pellets, which slowly release iron to the seawater.

The fertilizer system should be able to provide other (non-nitrate and non-iron) nutrients that are deficient in seawater. Since these nutrients, primarily phosphate, react with the iron chelator when the concentrations of both phosphate and iron chelator in the seawater are high, the other nutrients mentioned above are preferably added to the seawater in the form of slow release pellets or, in the case of phosphoric acid, dilute solutions. These slow release pellets should be capable of releasing the respective fertilizer elements in a non-precipitating form to the light-transmitting zone from which they would otherwise be removed. This can be done by applying phosphate and/or iron fertiliser separately from the other nutrient fertiliser, for example from the opposite side of the ship, or from an attached boat.

The fertilizer pellets, when combined, achieve a density lower than that of seawater so that they can float and release their fertilizer elements at or near the surface of the ocean. This can be done by attaching the fertilizer elements to floating materials such as glass or ceramic foams and plastic foams, or by introducing air bubbles into the fertilizer pellets during the manufacturing process. The fertilizer pellets may also contain a binder, such as a plastic, wax, high molecular weight starch, or combination thereof, which provides immediate release of the fertilizer elements to the seawater.

There are many ocean areas suitable for increasing the production of aquatic products by the method of the present invention, and there are no local populations of fish that would benefit from the resulting propagated plants. Therefore, it is effective to breed selected fish species such as filter feeders that can eat the phytoplankton and plankton produced in the fertilized ocean. These farmed fish and other above-ocean and migratory fish attracted to the fertilization area may be harvested at the site where the fertilizer system is applied, but at a later time, or while engaged in ocean currents, harvesting should be done at the site downstream of the fertilization, and downstream of any stocking.

Detailed description of the invention

The marine fertilization according to the invention can greatly improve the production capacity of marine edible aquatic products. (the term "ocean" also includes the sea, bay and other large bodies of water). For example, ocean fertilization along the oceanic and pacific coasts of the united states can increase the production capacity of these coasts up to the level naturally found along the coast of peru. This can increase the production of aquatic products along the coasts of the U.S. atlantic and pacific ocean by 30 or more times, and thereby can provide thousands of new jobs and new growth in the fishing industry in declining states in some areas of the U.S., while producing high quality protein food for domestic consumption and export. Ocean fertilization can also improve the coastal fishing capacity of other countries with the same benefits.

Marine fertilization can be carried out within the confines of water reception, thereby ensuring the benefits of increased aquatic product production to the benefit of the fishing industry in the marine fertilization countries. For example, the united states fertilizes in its entirety over the 200 seas (about 323 km), resulting in substantially all of the effect being in the united states' waters.

A basic parameter for marine fertilization is that approximately 1 pound (about 0.45 kg) of fertilizer can produce approximately 2-10 tons (about 1.8-9.1 metric tons) of biomass in the ocean. A conservative estimate is that 1 ton (about 0.9 metric ton) will produce about 4000 tons (about 3600 metric tons) of biomass in the ocean.

The production per surface area of the fertilized ocean area is higher than that of the fertilized land. Current sugarcane cultivation produces approximately 40 tons per acre per year (about 36 metric tons per 0.4 hectare). If the same productivity is achieved in marine fertilization, about 25,000 tons per square sea are produced per year (about 23,300 metric tons per square kilometer).

On land, fertilization is always accompanied by planting. In the ocean, fertilization is combined with the introduction of algae, egg pellets, and other microbial communities, including larval fish from fish hatcheries. By doing so, the yield of marine aquatic products can be further improved.

On land, planting and fertilizing are usually carried out in spring, while harvesting is usually carried out in fall. While farming on the ocean, the length of time between fertilization and harvest depends on a number of factors. Phytoplankton in tropical seas increased 2-4 times daily when the elements fertilized were effective. The plankton grazes on the phytoplankton and the bait fish eat the plankton and phytoplankton, continuing through the food chain of large mammals and fish. Along the coast of the united states, the most important ocean currents are the gulf stream of mexico and the ocean current of japan. Wherein each ocean current flows in about 4 nautical miles per hour (about 6.4 kilometers per hour). Thus, in either ocean current process, fertilizing at one location on the ocean surface produces results that are harvested at another location downstream. About 4 knots (about 6.4 kilometers per hour) and about 400 knots (about 645 kilometers) if delayed by about 4 days. For the gulf stream in mexico, this means fertilization at the west harbor, the coast of florida, with the result that fishing at the north coast of florida is improved, whereas large batches of fish are beginning at the coast of georgia, south caro sodium, north caro sodium, and virginia. Improving fishing in a manner that relies on fertilization can continue in many of the gulf stream of mexico.

It was experimentally determined even earlier that marine fertilization in the gulf stream of mexico, such as on the west coast of florida, could be used to enable phytoplankton pileus to be used while the gulf stream of mexico is flowing around the west port of florida. This allows more time to capture more fish before the gulf stream of the united states water (national waters) changes direction.

In the gulf stream of mexico, in order to have nutrient content up to the level of the peru surge, it is believed that fertilizers should consist primarily of iron with some phosphates and some nitrogen-fixing microbial populations. Since the gulf stream of mexico is turbulent by eddies and eddies along the coast, and also affected by storms, tides and occasionally hurricanes, marine fertilization must be monitored by inspection. However, the effect of marine fertilization almost certainly lies in phytoplankton growth followed by dormancy.

Marine fertilization is only effective on the upper surface of the ocean, so the upper about 100 feet (about 30 meters) of the ocean is preferred. In addition, the preferred method of marine fertilization is to produce fertilizer pellets that float due to a density lower than that of seawater, and preferably 0.9 times the density of seawater. This can be done by using a low density material such as a formulation of wax, by encapsulating the fertiliser in a floating material such as glass or ceramic foam and plastic foam, or preferably by including bubbles in the form of ceramic balls or in the plastic matrix of fertiliser pellets. When the mixed layer is a shallow water layer, it is possible to disperse soluble fertilizers such as phosphoric acid directly into the wake of the ship, and the fertilizer remains in the photic zone.

The fertilizer is preferably present in a form that dissolves in the surface of the body of water within a few days or for most up to two weeks. In addition, the method of marine fertilization preferably further comprises mixing the fertilizer with a binder, such as high molecular weight starch, wax or a plastic matrix such as cellulose acetate, to produce fertilizer pellets that slowly release the fertilizer elements in seawater. This will keep the concentration of the fertilizer elements low and will not react with each other or with the seawater to form a precipitate leaving the photic zone.

Especially important in the case of iron fertilization. To be added to the ocean in the form of a chelating agent to protect the iron from reacting with the seawater. Chelating agents include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), lignin, and many other chelating agents. In seawater, iron lignin and monoammonium phosphate salts (MAP) form precipitates at iron and phosphorus concentrations of greater than about 2ppm each (MAP 16ppm and 18ppm for iron lignin). This concentration is not a problem as long as the two fertilizer elements are separately dispersed, e.g. from opposite sides of a ship, or on several ships spaced apart from each other. Preferably, the chelating agent comprises lignosulfonic acid (lignin acid sulfonate).

The fertilizer elements are depleted in bright green seawater within about 20 days. Therefore, continuous addition of fertilizer is required to maintain a predetermined ocean throughput.

Desirable fish, including filter feeders such as anchovy peruvian (anchovia), menhaden and little sardine, are housed in the ocean so fertilized. In addition to the large availability of bait fish at a later time, special encouragement has been included to add high value fish such as tuna, swordfish and dolphin.

The amount of iron, phosphorus and other fertilizer elements added to the ocean is dependent on the need to increase the yield of the aquatic product. The initial method of marine fertilization should be designed to correlate part of the marine surface with the marine surface nutrient content in the peru upwelling, as the aquatic product production there is known. The marine fertilization method preferably includes additional testing methods and study of aquatic product growth kinetics under the fertilization conditions to further modify and improve the composition of the fertilizer and the resultant marine fertilization method.

About 53000 square nautical miles (about 140,000 square kilometers) in carbon dioxide (CO)₂) Removal rates were about 1,340 million tons (about 1,220 million metric tons) of marine fertilization, beginning with a requirement of about 350,000 (about 322,000 metric tons) of fertilizer per year. This corresponds to about 1000 tons (about 900 metric tons) per day for 350 days per year. If the price of fertilizer applied to the ocean is $ 400 per ton (about 0.9 metric ton), the annual cost is about $ 140000000. The cost of marine fertilization also preferably includes monitoring, inspection and reporting costs to optimize the method of marine fertilization, including optimizing fertilizer composition, application rate and site of application.

The method of the invention for improving the production of aquatic products has significant effects. If the price of the water product averages $ 0.40 per pound (0.45 kg), an additional yield of water product of 50,000,000 tons (about 45,000,000 metric tons) per year on only one coast of the united states will result in an industry of $ 40,000,000,000. If a job is sold $ 50,000 per year, 800,000 new job positions result.

The above description is based on the gulf stream of mexico, which is near the greatest concentration of the us population, and has an existing fishing industry because these data are readily available. However, the method of the present invention for improving the production of aquatic products can be applied better to other areas. The improvement of the method requires location-dependent requirements. For example, the method of the invention can also be used in equatorial pacific island countries. These countries have large ocean areas within the exclusive economic zones that they can utilize for this purpose.

Thus, the method of the invention allows for variations, including variations in fertilizer composition, location, and type of fertilizer application, depending on the ocean area being utilized.

The method of the present invention for marine fertilization may utilize a vessel which may last about 120 days at sea and which has the capacity to carry about 120,000 tons (about 110,000 metric tons) of fertilizer. The ship is equipped with a pump for mixing the fertilizer with seawater and dispersing the mixture into the ocean. Each ship was fitted with 3 pumps of 2,500 horsepower each, in order to spray a mixture of 90% seawater and 10% manure at the stern. Each vessel must have a capacity of about 600,000 barrels (about 90,000 kiloliters), which is a medium-sized tanker.

The fertiliser used in the method of the invention for producing aquatic products has a number of technical requirements, such as the speed of application of the fertiliser elements to the sea, ensuring that the marine plant life (phytoplankton) continues to obtain the chemical form of the fertiliser elements and the separation of the fertiliser elements into individual pellets which can be introduced into the sea at some distance. The pellets are of a lower density than seawater so that the pellets gradually release their fertilizer elements on or near the ocean surface.

Seeding according to the method of the invention for producing aquatic products preferably comprises seeding nitrogen-fixing phytoplankton in a stream of fertilizer pellets. Stocking of desired fish is also important because filter feeders typically do not exist prior to fertilization in marginal open seawater. Stocking other high value fish is also feasible in order to maximize the economic return from creating new businesses.

Variations of the present invention may be envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art and is limited only by the following claims.

Claims (20)

1. A method for improving the yield of edible aquatic products in open sea comprises the following steps:

(1) examining the open sea surface area to determine the absence to a significant degree of the first nutrient and the absence to a significant degree of the second nutrient; and

(2) applying separately a first fertilizer comprising said first nutrient-deficient and a second fertilizer comprising said second nutrient-deficient, so as to fertilize said area of the open sea surface in a suitable amount of said first nutrient-deficient and a suitable amount of said second nutrient-deficient, wherein said first fertilizer contains an iron chelator and said first fertilizer releases said first nutrient in a form that does not precipitate to any significant extent; and

(3) harvesting an increased yield of edible water product produced at least in part by the fertilizing of the open ocean.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the chelating agent comprises lignin.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the chelating agent comprises lignosulfonic acid.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second fertilizer releases the second nutrient deficiency in a form that does not precipitate to any significant extent.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one nitrogen-fixing microbial population is applied with at least one of the fertilizers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said region of the surface of said open sea is in barren open sea.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (3) is preceded by the step of stocking the surface of the ocean with at least one fry.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the second fertilizer comprises phosphate.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the second fertilizer comprises trace minerals.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the second fertilizer is present in the form of pellets, and the pellets comprise a buoyant material selected from air bubbles or a low density material, and the pellets further comprise a binder selected from a plastic, a wax, a high molecular weight starch, or a combination thereof.

11. An open sea fertilization method comprises the following steps: separately applying a first fertilizer having a first nutrient to the fertilized open sea surface and a second fertilizer having a second nutrient to the fertilized open sea surface, wherein the first fertilizer contains an iron chelator, and the first fertilizer releases the iron in a form that does not precipitate to any significant extent.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the chelating agent comprises lignin.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the chelating agent comprises lignosulfonic acid.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the second fertilizer releases the second nutrient in a form that does not precipitate to any significant extent.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein at least one nitrogen fixing microbial population is applied with at least one of the fertilizers.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the surface of the open sea is in barren open sea.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of stocking the surface of the ocean with at least one fry.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the second fertilizer comprises a phosphate.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the second fertilizer comprises a trace mineral.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the second fertilizer is present in the form of pellets, and the pellets comprise a buoyant material selected from air bubbles or a low density material, and the pellets further comprise a binder selected from a plastic, a wax, a high molecular weight starch, or a combination thereof.