The advantages and limitations of using copper materials in marine aquaculture

Marine aquaculturists operating on a large scale continuous basis often find bio-fouling on nets, intake screens, cages and floats to be a serious problem in that it can increase weight and drag, reduce buoyancy and water flow, and compete with the cash crop for available food. Major net system failures, with fouling as a strong contributing factor, have already occurred in several large commercial marine aquaculture operations. The fouling resistance of copper and its alloys is well known. Yet, the corrosion rate of these alloys is sufficiently low that they can likely be used in areas with only modest water flow without any detrimental effects on the culture organisms. The economic incentive for the judicious use of these alloys in certain marine aquacultural applications appears to be substantial.