Spar buoy pen system

Abstract

A spar buoy pen system formed of a net pen, vertical spar buoys, and anchors. The spar buoys are formed of elongate tubular columns having a center of ballet above the center of gravity to float in a substantially upright position. Anchor lines, auxiliary floats, and attachment lines deflect the spar buoys at a predetermined angle such that the spar buoys and the anchors cooperate to hold the net pen in a predetermined configuration and in a taut condition. Alternative versions of the system may be provided with damper plates that are attached to the spar buoys so as to limit their wave-induced motions. A predator net can also be attached to the system to protect the net pen and its contents.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. A spar buoy pen comprising: a flexible net forming an enclosed pen;   at least three elongated spar buoys adapted to float substantially vertically whereby each said spar buoy is attached to said net at at least two vertically spaced-apart locations so as to maintain a portion of said net adjacent said spar buoy in a substantially vertical orientation, and whereby said spar buoys are attached to said net at locations spaced apart from each other so that each said spar buoy can float freely relative to said spar buoys adjacent thereto;   separate anchor means attached to each of said spar buoys, each said anchor means adapted to urge said spar buoy associated therewith outwards from said net so that said spar buoys are urged away from each other so as to maintain said pen in an open state; and   at least two vertically spaced-apart, generally parallel lines extending between adjacent ones of said spar buoys so as to maintain said spar buoys in a predetermined configuration upon removal of said net.   
     
     
       2. The spar buoy pen of claim 1, wherein at least one of said anchor means includes an anchor attached to said associated spar buoy by an anchor line and a float attached to said anchor line by a supplemental line connected between said anchor and said spar buoy to urge said spar buoy away from said net. 
     
     
       3. The spar buoy pen of claim 1, wherein at least one said spar buoy is connected to said net by a first upper attachment line and a second upper attachment line, said first attachment line being shorter than sraid second attachment line so that said spar buoy is displaced from a vertical position at a predetermined angle. 
     
     
       4. The spar buoy pen of claim 3, wherein said predetermined angle is in the range of 5° to 25° from the vertical towards said net. 
     
     
       5. The spar buoy pen of claim 3, wherein said predetermined angle is approximately 15° from the vertical towards said net. 
     
     
       6. The spar buoy pen of claim 1, wherein: said net is .[.diminished.]. .Iadd.dimensioned .Iaddend.so that said pen is located within a perimeter of an area defined by said spar buoys; at least two vertically spaced-apart attachment lines are connected between each of said spar buoys and said net; and   a predator net is suspended from each of said spar buoys so as to surround said pen wherein said predator net includes said at least two vertically spaced-apart generally parallel lines for maintaining said spar buoys in said predetermined configuration.   
     
     
       7. The spar buoy pen of claim 6, wherein said predator net is formed from a plurality of separate sections. 
     
     
       8. The spar buoy of claim 7, wherein each predator net section is suspended between said adjacent spar buoys. 
     
     
       9. The spar buoy .Iadd.pen .Iaddend.of claim 1, further including at least one damper plate suspended below at least one of said spar buoys. 
     
     
       10. The spar buoy pen of claim 1, further including a plurality of damper plates suspended below at least one of said spar buoys. 
     
     
       11. The spar buoy pen of claim 10, further including a net extending between at least two of said damper plates. 
     
     
       12. A spar buoy pen comprising: a flexible net forming an enclosed pen;   at least three elongated spar buoys adapted to float substantially vertically attached to said net pen at horizontally spaced-apart locations so as to suspend said net above a sea bed whereby at least one of said spar buoys is connected to said net pen by a first upper attachment line and a second .[.upper.]. .Iadd.lower .Iaddend.attachment line, wherein said first attachment line is shorter than said second attachment line so that said spar buoy is displaced from the vertical position at a predetermined angle;   a predator net suspended from said spar buoys so as to surround said pen; and   separate anchor means attached to each of said spar buoys, wherein each said anchor means is adapted to urge said spar buoy associated therewith outward so as to maintain both said predator net and said pen in an open state.   
     
     
       13. The spar buoy pen of claim 12, wherein said predetermined angle .[.if.]..Iadd.is .Iaddend.in the range from 5 to 25 degrees from the vertical toward said net pen. 
     
     
       14. The spar buoy pen of claim 12, wherein at least one spar buoy is further provided with a damper plate suspended a distance below said spar buoy. 
     
     
       15. The spar buoy pen of claim 12, further including a plurality of damper plates suspended below at least one of said spar buoys. 
     
     
       16. The spar buoy pen of claim 15 further including a net extending between at least two of said damper plates. .Iadd.17. A non-rigid structural-frame-free spar buoy pen comprising: a flexible net forming an enclosed pen;   at least three elongated spar buoys adapted to float substantially vertically, each said spar buoy being attached to said net at at least two vertically spaced-apart locations so that said flexible net is held open vertically, and said spar buoys being attached to said net at locations horizontally spaced-apart from each other, wherein said spar buoy pen does not include a rigid structural frame so that each said spar buoy can float freely relative to said spar buoys adjacent thereto; and   separate anchor means attached to each of said spar buoys, each said anchor means adapted to urge said spar buoy associated therewith outwards from said net so that said spar buoys are urged away from each other so that said flexible net is held open horizontally without a rigid structural frame. .Iaddend. .Iadd.18. The spar buoy pen of claim 17, wherein each said spar buoy is attached to said net by a first upper attachment line and a second lower attachment line, said first upper attachment line being shorter than said second lower attachment line so that each said spar buoy is displaced from the vertical position at a predetermined angle. .Iaddend. .Iadd.19. The spar buoy pen of claim 18, wherein said predetermined angle is in the range of 5 to 25 degrees from the vertical   
     
     
        towards said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.20.  The spar buoy pen of claim 18, wherein each said spar buoy is linked to an adjacent spar buoy by at least one line so as to maintain said spar buoys in a predetermined configuration upon removal of said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.21. The spar buoy pen of claim 18, wherein adjacent ones of said spar buoys are interconnected with at least two vertically spaced-apart, generally parallel lines so as to maintain said spar buoys in a predetermined configuration upon removal of said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.22. The spar buoy pen of claim 21, wherein said anchor means includes an anchor attached to said associated spar buoy by an anchor line and an auxiliary float attached to said anchor line so as to urge said associated spar buoy away 
     
     
        from said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.23.  The spar buoy pen of claim 18, wherein said anchor means includes an anchor attached to said associated spar buoy by an anchor line and an auxiliary float attached to said anchor line so as to urge said associated spar buoy away from said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.24. The spar buoy pen of claim 17, wherein each said spar buoy is linked to an adjacent spar buoy by at least one line so as to maintain said spar buoys in a predetermined configuration upon removal of said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.25. The spar buoy pen of claim 24, wherein said anchor means includes an anchor attached to said associated spar buoy by an anchor line and an auxiliary float attached to said anchor line so as to urge said associated spar buoy away from said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.26. The spar buoy pen of claim 17, wherein adjacent ones of said spar buoys are interconnected with at least two vertically spaced-apart, generally parallel lines so as to maintain said spar buoys in a predetermined configuration upon removal of said net. .Iaddend. .Iadd.27. The spar buoy pen of claim 17, wherein said anchor means includes an anchor attached to said associated spar buoy by an anchor line and an auxiliary float attached to said anchor line so as to urge said associated spar buoy away from said net. .Iaddend.