Abstract: A cover for withstanding stormy weather and increasing solar heating of a body of water is disposed over the surface of the water. The cover is more transparent to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation, and is anchored and sealed around its periphery over the surface of the body of water. Means are provided for reducing the pressure between the bottom of the cover and the top of the water to subatmospheric, and for flooding the top surface of the cover with a layer of water, and draining the layer of water from the top of the cover.

Abstract: This invention provides a plurality of bearing stations in conjunction with traction and braking means to assemble and launch long pipelines where prior assembly and rapid installation are required. A method including prediction of wind, current, and other water forces, is provided for launching submerged pipelines.

Abstract: In a process for mariculture of abalone, the male and female abalone are pretreated prior to spawning with one or more antibiotics in a seawater bath that is essentially bacteria-free. Eggs are filtered from the bath in which spawned and fertilized, and placed in a hatching bath of essentially bacteria-free seawater containing one or more antibiotics. After the eggs hatch, and the larvae have broken away from their respective cases, the larvae are transferred, free of egg debris, to a third bath of essentially bacteria-free seawater containing one or more antibiotics and selected beneficial antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria which are separately cultured and which control ammonia and provide other benefits.

Abstract: A tank for use in the culturing of marine and aquatic organisms that undergo larval settlement upon submerged surfaces and metamorphose thereon to become benthic motile animals that crawl upon said surfaces and graze food found thereon, such as abalone (phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, family Haliotidae), other gastropod molluscs including, but not limited to conch (class Gastropoda, genera Strombus, Cassis, Charonia, and others), Chilean "loco" (Choncholepas, choncholepas), sea urchins (phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea, order Cidaroidea), and other marine and aquatic motile benthic organisms of economic and scientific importance. The tank is provided with means for circulation of seawater through the tank and means are provided in the tank forming solid surfaces on which the larvae of abalone or other motile benthic organisms settle, feed and rest.

Abstract: A process for culturing abalone (phylum Mollusca, class Gastropoda, family Haliotidae); other gastropod molluscs including, but not limited to, conch (class Gastropoda; genera Strombus, Cassis, Charonia and others), Chilean "loco" (Concholepas, concholepas); sea urchins (phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea, order Cidaroidea) and other marine and aquatic motile benthic animals of economic and scientific importance in which larvae, when sufficiently developed to settle from swimming to crawling animals, are introduced into a bath of relatively pure water. Preconditioned settlement surfaces are provided in the bath that encourage the settling and metamorphosis processes and support life thereafter. The larvae are preferably introduced into the water in time-spaced batches, food is supplied, high quality water is supplied, waste products and unwanted detritus are continuously removed.

Abstract: In a process and apparatus for mariculture of abalone, fertilized abalone eggs are filtered from the environment in which they are spawned and fertilized and placed at controlled density into a constant temperature hatching bath of filtered seawater. The dissolved oxygen content of the hatching bath is maintained above at least about 75% of saturation at the temperature of the water. After the eggs hatch and the larvae have broken away from their respective egg cases, they are transferred free of egg debris to a constant temperature larvae growing bath of filtered seawater for the duration of larval development.