Sea lice
Simply
the pest Sea lice represent a health issue for the industry and a public relations problem – but there are solutions BY ROBERT OUTRAM
O
F all the fish health issues in salmon farming, the challenge of sea lice is probably the most conten�ous. Sea lice not only represent a problem for farmed fish, but also – although the extent of the threat is hotly contested – to their wild counterparts. That’s why the “risk-based spa�al framework” published for consulta�on by the Sco�sh Environment Protec�on Agency (SEPA) in December focuses on lice counts and the loca�on of farms away from wild salmon migratory routes. The issue of sea lice is also a key considera�on for Norway’s “traffic light” system. Controlling sea lice numbers is, therefore, a priority for salmon and trout farmers opera�ng marine sites. That’s why, late last year, the MV Coastal Server made the long journey from Norway through the Panama Canal to Bri�sh Columbia on Canada’s west coast. The Coastal Server, built by Moen Marin for Nidaros Shipping, has been fi�ed out as a specialist delicing vessel, equipped with the SkaMik 1.5 mechanical delicing system. It is the first �me this system has been deployed on the Canadian coast and the Coastal Server will be providing delicing treatment for Grieg Seafood. SkaMik’s 1.5 delicing system is an improved version of the company’s original SkaMik 1. In tests it has shown that it can remove up to 97% of sea lice at all stages of their development. Also ac�ve in this market is Smir – the name means “forge” – which supplies complete systems for gentle delousing, as well as semi-enclosed
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pens. In addi�on, Smir offers customised products developed in house, such as water pumps and water filters. Smir’s Hydrolicer system is a mechanical, non-pharmaceu�cal method for removing sea lice from fish. The company operates its own vessels equipped with delousing equipment. Norwegian company Flatsetsund Engineering AS also offers a mechanical delousing system in the form of the FLS Caligus. The FLS Caligus 250 uses seawater under pressure to flush the lice away from the fish. The suc�on to li� the fish from the pen operates via a siphon and the whole system is set at a low level above the water in order to minimise the need for li�ing. The pumping ac�on is therefore much gentler and easier on the fish – leading, the company says, to much lower mortality rates. The Caligus 250 typically operates on a pento-pen basis – either transferring the fish from one pen to an adjacent pen, or back into the same pen. The delicing system is normally fi�ed on a service vessel – such as the MV Bakkanes, a converted oil industry service vessel
Above: Louse a�ached to salmon Opposite from top: The MV Coastal Server; The Smir Hydrolicer
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07/02/2022 14:24:44
