Deep Trekker Aids Remote Fish Farm Installation

AgriMarine Technologies Inc. (ATI) is completing the installation of its proprietary tank technology for fish farming in a remote lake on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. The four semi-closed containment, 3,000 cubic meter tanks are designed to float in water bodies, and manage the rearing environment for thousands of fish. The tanks are designed to draw cooler water from greater depths to circulate within the tank, while added oxygen optimizes the environment for the farmed fish. The installation of these massive structures is not only challenging from a logistical but also operational perspective. The Deep Trekker DTG2 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) has been used to alleviate many of the difficulties of quickly and reliability performing underwater inspections.

Monitoring and inspecting the new systems is imperative to ensure a smooth and on budget delivery of the new tanks. Sending in divers to monitor the systems would be extremely costly and also difficult for divers in many of the situations with tight areas and obstacles. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was decided to be the best alternative during the construction and implementation phases. Although ATI required specifically a solution that could be easily deployed anywhere from the docks and easy enough to pilot so that anyone in the crew could quickly take a quick look at something underwater without delaying the project.

The Deep Trekker DTG2 ROV was the obvious choice for ATI as a robust and maneuverable ROV that was an affordable solution. The DTG2 ROV could easily be transported to any of the tank docks and deployed within seconds. “We had the foresight to purchase the Deep Trekker Remotely Operated Vehicle, and we have utilized the Deep Trekker DTG2 ROV for a variety of functions that enabled us to reduce the costs associated with divers,” remarked Robert Walker, President of ATI.

ATI has now implemented inspections with the Deep Trekker DTG2 ROV both inside the new rearing tanks as well as around their surrounding lake environment. Within the tanks, ATI can easily monitor the fish without human contact to ensure that they are schooling and feeding properly, as well as determine that the drains are working as modeled for the new technology. In the lake environment, the Deep Trekker is used to check the anchoring system and in infrastructure inspections. “Deep Trekker is affordable technology that has allows us to conduct underwater inspections that are costly and difficult for divers to perform. We have even used the Deep Trekker to retrieve a pipe that fell into the lake,” commented Walker. “Overall, the Deep Trekker has been invaluable in ensuring that our innovative technology is functioning as designed from the very start."

The DTG2 ROV from Deep Trekker has proven instrumental to the successful installations and operations at ATI. The Deep Trekker ROVs will continue to be an asset for underwater inspections and monitoring as ATI continues to expand their technology.