Vessel Miss Mildred, equipped with Norwegian system Thermolicer. (Photo: Cooke Aquaculture)

Cooke adds environmentally friendly tools to combat sea lice

CANADA
Friday, April 27, 2018, 03:00 (GMT + 9)

Cooke Aquaculture focuses for Norwegian eco-friendly technology by adding a new vessel to its fleet that will use warm-water baths to address sea lice in farmed salmon.

Representatives of the Blacks Harbour-based firm, in New Brunswick, pointed out that the adoption of Thermolicer™ technology is part of the company’s continued investment in innovative, chemical-free sea lice management tools.

“Trialed last summer, this technique has proven to be 98 per cent effective at removing the lice without harming the fish. It’s a simple and effective treatment that further reduces our need to use chemicals or medicines. This is an exciting evolution in sea lice management for us,” said Joel Richardson, Vice President, Public Relations for Cooke Aquaculture.

The Canadian firm has invested millions of dollars in research, development and engineering to build a complement of green sea lice treatment options that do not involve chemical baths or in-feed treatments. Several options – including some developed in-house and some that have been designed by industry-leading companies – have shown tremendous promise. Provincial and federal governments have also supported research and development of alternative sea lice treatments methods.

The Norwegian-engineered system called a Thermolicer™ – a warm-water based sea lice removal system uses a warm water bath to gently remove sea lice without damaging or causing stress to the fish.

The system, developed by technology supplier Steinsvik, exploits a vulnerability of sea lice that do not tolerate sudden changes in water temperature and will fall off the fish.

“Sea lice are naturally-occurring in the marine environment and can affect both wild and farm-raised fish. They do present a fish health challenge for our sector and for many years our company, and in fact the industry worldwide, has pursued effective, environmentally-sound treatment methods,” said Richardson.

The fish are transferred from the pen and separated from the seawater before they enter the Thermolicer™. Each fish moves through the Thermolicer™ in 30 seconds. All lice removed in the system are filtered and safely composted at approved, land-based waste management facilities.

Cooke representatives explained that this is While the Thermolicer™ is not the only environmentally friendly innovation in development at the firm, as two other systems are expected to be deployed this summer: the in-house designed “Cooke R” and the “Hydrolicer,” two mechanical tools to eliminate sea lice that have their own design. 

“Farmed salmon is one of this region's biggest economic drivers and exports. Atlantic Canada’s locally owned and operated fish farms produce 50 per cent of the country’s farmed salmon,” Richardson said.

 
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