Hat Collectors Mounted
O-201
Stacks of plastic discs 157mm in diameter, with 'necks' which enable stacking of the discs. The necks abut one another to keep spacing for spat to develop. The discs have raised ridges which help the spat adhere to them. Each stack is 1.2m high, with a PVC tube inserted in through the hats and melted on each end to hold them together.
Use
Oyster spat collection.
How it is used / deployed
The hats are mounted in stacks of 38 by the insertion of a PVC tube which is afterwards hot welded at each end, securing the hats. They are deployed on tidal flats on metal 'tables', to which they are attached with rubber bands. In deep water, they are deployed like mussel lines. Removal of the spat is by manually twisting each stack, causing the spat to fall off, or by use of a special machine. The stack is passed through the machine, which has a pipe of PVC or stainless steel, of a diameter slightly bigger than the coupelle, on which are screwed bolts which press slightly on the interior of the pipe.
Features / benefits
Field report up to 200 oysters per hat collection.