DESIGN OF

NET PENS

NOVEMBER 6

MEMBERS:
ALTAVANO, NOEL
BRIOLA, AMIERA FRANCIA
CAPIL, DIANE
CODILLO, HACIL
DESTAJO, JURALD
OCAMPO, GREGORY
OSAYTA, JOSHUA FRANZ
SORNILLO, MADHELYN
TAMAR, CHARLOTTE
 Bicol University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Department

INTRODUCTION
It is apparent that the aquaculture industry is changing. There are a number of reasons
for this, including a rapidly increasing demand for fish. Within the past few decades, the
consumption of food per capita has doubled. It is therefore evident that traditional aquaculture,
which originated over 3000 years ago, is not efficient enough to meet the needs of the more
than 8 billion people who populate the planet today. To increase the efficiency of aquaculture,
various systems have been developed or are being developed: pond culture, net cage culture,
raceways (also known as flow-through systems) and closed recirculating aquaculture
systems. In net pen culture, fish are kept within a well-defined habitat provided by natural
waters, such as rivers, lakes, or oceans. As compared to traditional fishing, feeding, controlling,
and gathering are much easier through this defined zone. Furthermore, the success of an
aquaculture project depends to a large extent on the proper selection of the site to be developed
into a fish farm or hatchery. Aquaculture scientists are now aware that by introducing suitable
farming methods, the extensive expanse of coastal waters, lagoons, backwaters and marshes in
our country can produce as much food as the same area of land itself.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this study, the students shall:
I. Briefly describe the following factors to be considered in material site selection
a. Ecological factors
b. Biological and operational factors
c. Economic and social factors
II. Discuss the net-pen design and construction

LESSON 1
DESIGN OF PENS: SYSTEM COMPONENTS AND MATERIAL SITE SELECTION

Fish pen is an artificial enclosure

constructed within a body of water for culturing
fish and fishery/ aquatic resources made up of
poles closely arranged in an enclosure with
wooden materials, screen or nylon netting to
prevent escape of fish.

Factors to be considered in site selection

 Ecological factors
1. Water supply
The source of water may be an irrigation canal, river, creek, reservoir, lake,
spring, rainfall runoff and dug or deep wells. Water can be supplied via feeder

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 Bicol University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Department

channel, storage tank or pipeline by gravity or by pumping to the ponds. The most
economical method is by gravity. For a pond built in suitable soil, the minimum
supply of water should be 5 l/sec/ ha of pond throughout the year.
If rainfall runoff is to be used, and stored in a reservoir to supply the ponds, a
ratio of 10 to 15 ha of catchment area to 1 ha of pond is required if the catchment
area is pasture; a slightly higher ratio is needed for woodland, and less for land
under cultivation (Hora, 1962).
The drainage possibility of the ponds should be carefully investigated during the
site selection. Gravity drainage of the ponds is preferable. For draining a pond by
gravity, its bottom should be at a level higher than that which the maximum water
table reaches during the harvesting periods in a normal year.
2. Water quality
Quality of water is one of the most significant factors to be considered in site
selection. It should be investigated by taking a number of water samples from the
proposed water source for laboratory analyses of physical, chemical, biological and
micro-biological properties, including health hazards. Water test procedures should
be in accordance with the relevant Standard Classification in the country on water
quality. From a production point of view, emphasis should be placed on the following:

(i) physical properties - temperature, color, odor, turbidity, transparency,

suspended solids.

(ii) chemical properties - pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen

demand, free carbon dioxide, alkalinity, salinity, dissolved solids,
ammonia, all as regards both useful and toxic qualifies; also, whether
pollutants of agricultural or industrial origin are present, and if so, to what
extent.

(iii) biological properties - quality and density of plankton. (iv) micro-

biological properties - species and quantity of parasites.

3. Climate
Important climatological factors to be obtained from the meteorological station
nearest to the site are as follows:
- mean monthly temperature
- mean monthly rainfall
- mean monthly evaporation
- mean monthly humidity
- mean monthly sunshine
- mean monthly wind speed and direction

Obviously, the longer the period of record, the better the data will be.

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 Bicol University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Department

Information on the pattern of precipitation (maximum in any 24 hours) and

incidence of high winds, heavy storms or cyclones, should be considered. The incidence
and amount of damage caused by storms or earthquakes in the project area should also
be noted.

4. Hydrological characteristics
The following are needed: Data for discharge, yield, floods and water elevations of
existing water sources (rivers, irrigation channels, reservoirs, springs, etc.).
5. Soil characteristics
Soils have characteristics that can easily be determined by sight and feel. Visual
examinations are employed in place of precise laboratory tests to define the basic
soil properties. A sandy to clayey loam is the best type of soil both for pond
construction and growing natural foods at the pond bottom. Areas with a layer of
organic soil over 0.60 m in thickness are unsuitable for any kind of fish pond,
because it would be difficult to maintain water levels in the ponds due to high
seepage; also, it would be necessary to transport suitable soils for dike construction
to the site, and this will be costly. Big surface stones or rock outcrops may make an
area unsuitable for anything except lined ponds or concrete raceways.
6. Land
Land elevation and flood level are important factors in determining the suitability
of the area for the construction of a fish farm or hatchery. The land should be free
from deep flooding; the maximum flood level for the past 10 years should not be
higher than the top of the dikes. Observation of the marks left by flood waters on
bridges or other structures at the site, or questioning of local people, may give
information about the expected heights of floods. The shape and size of available
land should be considered: land with a regular shape and extensive enough for
future expansion is ideally suitable for a fish farm. It is very important to know the
development plans for the area as it would be unwise to select a site for a project in
a region where future industrial activity may cause air and water pollution. Similarly, if
a site is adjacent to a heavily populated area, the risk of pollution should be borne in
mind. However, some industrial and agricultural wastes may be utilized in fish
farming. In such cases, special investigations should be conducted on their utilization
or required treatment.
 Biological and operational factors
1. Temperature, salinity and oxygen
The temperature, oxygen requirement, water quality (pollution) feeding and
crowding are closely related. The optimal stocking of fish in an enclosure is
dependent on the availability of oxygen, the rate of oxygen demand of feed
remains and excreta (increase of B.O.D). Oxygen content is also as well

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 Bicol University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Department

recognized related to temperature and salinity. The abundance of other organisms

(plankton, benthos) within the pen also would deplete oxygen. Since temperatures
and O2 demand of fish are high in summer the oxygen lack problem will be acute
then.
2. Pollution
Feces and food particles sink to the bottom. If the water flow is low and
enclosure bottom bounded by reefs or other thresholds of the main basin, the
wastes will accumulate and may contaminate the farm.
3. Predator control
Predation causes heavy mortality in pens, even upto half the total loss of fish
(Moller and Bjerk, 1975). Birds (herons, gulls and cormorants), Mammal
(seals, otters) and larger fish are the major predators.
To protect the pens, the enclosures have to be completely sealed by nets and
wires safety nets are to be used against predatory fish.
4. Fouling of algae and mussels
Fouling is a biological problem. Since the waters around the enclosure are rich
in nutrients algae and mussels also grow well attached to the framework and nets
of the enclosure.
 Economic and social factors
The most important economic and social factors are as follows:
a. Development plans for the project area
b. Ownership, availability of land and land values, land regulations and rights, as
well as any legal restrictions relating to land
c. Proximity to all-weather road connections
d. Availability of electricity, telephone or radio connections, as well as unit power
cost
e. Availability of equipment, services and supplies needed for running the project
f. Availability of construction materials
g. Location of markets for the produce and determination of demand
h. Availability of organic and artificial fertilizers, drugs and chemical materials
i. Availability of supplementary feeds
j. Costs of equipment, materials, feeds, etc. needed for running the project
k. Availability of suitable transport facilities
l. Availability of ice for marketing
m. Availability of staff with adequate experience of pond management
n. Availability of skilled and semi-skilled labourers
o. Reasonable amenities for permanent staff, for example, schools, shopping
facilities, hospital, etc.
p. Information on the local financing methods or credits

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 Bicol University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Department

q. Political realities

LESSON 2
DESIGN OF PENS: NET-PEN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

A typical sea cage comprises several parts: the cage collar or support system
(framework), the flotation system, the net bag, a jumping net, and weights to stretch out the net
bag at the bottom and to stabilize it in the water column.
 Cage collar of framework
The collar or framework may have several functions. It helps to support the cage
safely in the water column, it helps to maintain the shape of the net bag, it may help with
buoyancy and it may serve as a work platform

Three different methods may be used to construct the framework/collar for a sea cage.
1. Stiff framework
The framework does not follow the wave movements. An example of a stiff
construction is a boat. Some specially designed steel cages use a stiff framework. The
construction is characterized by large forces transferred to the framework.
2. Framework with moveable joints
The framework will to some extent follow the wave movements. An example is a
traditional steel cage system, where joints are used to connect the single elements in the
framework.
3. Flexible framework
The framework is quite flexible and will follow the wave movements well. These
include frames made of plastic (for example, polyethylene, PE) which are flexible to
some degree and those made of rubber (for example, ocean cages).

 Weighting and stretching

Weights on the bottom of the net bag are used to keep the net bag down, and to
maintain as much effective volume as possible for the fish.
 Net bags

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 Bicol University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Department

Net bags can be constructed in different ways and with different materials.16–18
In the past materials such as cotton and flax were used. These materials get heavy in
water and their strength is rapidly reduced; in addition, they are not very durable.
 Breakwaters
On sites exposed to waves, breakwaters may be used to reduce wave height and
impact. Hence the environmental loads on the cages lying behind the breakwater will
also be reduced. Breakwaters may be constructed in different ways.1 One method is to
use concrete blocks or a steel construction fixed to the bottom; however, these are
expensive to install and little used for protection of sea cages in deep water, although
they may be used in shallow water
EXAMPLE OF CAGE OR PEN CONSTRUCTIONS
1. Plastic cages
Plastic collar cages made either of PE (actually high-density polyethylene (HDPE)) or
PP are often circular, but may also be made quadrangular and be used as a system
farm in less exposed sea areas.
2. Steel cages
Steel cages are constructed with pontoons to ensure buoyancy, while the steel
framework gives strength and stretches out the net bag. The steel construction is
normally galvanized but can also be painted.
3. Ocean cages
One type of cage suitable for large waves is made of rubber pipes with a typical
exterior size larger than 400mm. The cages are made as a quadrangle, hexagon or
octagon. Steel pipes are used in the corners and to connect the parts made of
rubber pipes. The rubber pipes will follow the wave motion very well.

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 Bicol University
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Department

PEN CONSTRUCTION

a. Layout enclosures in accordance with shape. Shape varies either square,

rectangular, circular or conical while pen size ranges from 0.1-10.0 hectares
depending upon the availability of suitable area and the financial capacity of
operator.
b. Clean area from sea urchin, sea grasses, corals if any and other foreign objects
covered in the area.
c. Install bamboo post as a structural framework at a distance of 1.5-2.0 meter
(bamboo pole should be held firmly to be the bottom 1.0-1.5 meter)
d. Provide bamboo or wooden to support each bamboo post to add strength of
framework.
e. Install wooden or bamboo pole horizontally in the lower, middle and upper most
portion of the frame
f. Install double-lined net enclosure (be sure that the upper portion should extend
1.0-1.5 meter during highest tide and the lower end should be embedded
about .3-.5 meter to avoid possible escape of fish.

REFERENCES

https://www.fao.org/3/x5744e/x5744e02.htm?
fbclid=IwAR1t_OHEteoDXE2aCv3798DyeGPuYOoyzxI_TDXqa7aQ3-vamB-W4wX1mA0
https://www.brainkart.com/article/Pens-and-enclosures---Design-and-Construction-of-
Aquafarms_15895/
https://www.fao.org/3/ac181e/AC181E03.htm