Products
Hatchery equipment
Over the last two years Northbay has been developing a whole series of improvements through fusion 360 and 3D printer prototypes, as well as dynamic fluid modelling, to create the third generation of lobster hatchery technology. This includes the new lobster cube which has a capacity of 2000 juvenile lobsters, with each tray taking 100 lobsters from stage III to Vl, with the option of two further tray sizes that can grow juvenile lobsters to stage Xll or 10-15g in weight. We have also developed a new incubator with three filter points, enabling different amounts of larvae to be handled. It also has one of the best fluid movement creating micro-vortexes to enable larval separation. We have even redesigned the screen to minimise damage to the larvae.
Hatchery in a container
If a permanent building is not available for a lobster hatchery there is another solution. Northbay can design and build bespoke hatcheries in a 20ft Container with the potential of producing 50,000 juvenile lobsters a year we can also build hen holding units and hatcheries in separate containers using 20ft or 40ft shipping containers. One key advantage of these systems is that they can be located on a harbourfront or jetty during the production season and moved to safety during winter storms.
Fishermen's lobster store
Northbay has experience of holding female lobsters for over one year. We have used this knowledge to create a cost-effective onshore storage solution. These 3m long, 4-level units minimise floor area and offer a more effective solution than concrete tanks or drawer systems. The system is designed to work on a recirculation filter, although it would work equally well on a seawater pump
Lobster on-growing and farming
Northbay draws on extensive experience and knowledge gathered through European projects and extends this into new areas of aquaculture. We can now provide equipment that can hold up to 960 on-growing lobsters which can be fed manually or by robotic systems. The lobsters can be easily observed. The containers are located inside an up-welling system and provide a dark and secure enclosure for the developing lobsters. A single unit is designed to take two different pot sizes. We will be installing the first fully commercial unit later in 2021.
The New Lobster Filter
20 years experience in the industry and working with lobster hatcheries have led us to the idea of this new filtration unit. Fluidic biological filtration, particle filtration, protein extraction, heating and cooling are the key elements necessary to supply optimum quality water to both larvae and full-grown lobsters. We use ultraviolet light to knock pathogens out of the water, but we have learned that ozone and larger UV units can have an adverse effect on larvae.
The filter is designed to stand in the small footprint of the Euro pallet. For the early and late season the unit has a 2.5 kW heater, and for the summer when water temperatures are higher there is a chiller unit to stabilise temperature. The filter unit is designed to be simple to operate with variable flow pumps and can be fitted with monitoring equipment.
Lobster and shellfish transport
Northbay is currently working on a unique concept to create an autonomous transport system that can maintain a stable temperature for 24-48 hours. Periodically water can be pumped around the system, which is equipped with an ‘automatricks’ GPS live tracking unit giving position and temperature during shipment. The system is designed to be transported as a standard pallet through a courier network between fishermen and restaurants, farm shops and markets.