Sea lice represent an important threat to salmon industry. (Photo: Stock File)

Benchmark offers solution to reduce salmon sea lice treatment pollution

UNITED KINGDOM
Thursday, August 17, 2017, 02:20 (GMT + 9)

Benchmark has developed a new fully contained environmentally benign purification system to fight against sea lice, a breakthrough ensuring it will benefit the salmon industry.

The system, called CleanTreat, ensures the safe use of compounds in the marine environment by purifying the medicine from the treatment water to undetectable levels.

CleanTreat allows for modular installation on board well-boats, treatment barges and land based systems and it is efficient compared to most available bath treatment to combat sea lice.

The system ensures that treatment water is purified and detached lice will be filtered and collected, achieving the highest level of environmental safety and also reducing the risk of future development of resistance.

The treatment plan will firstly be launched in the Norwegian market. The trials will see leading producers pilot the new system and product at commercial scale.

The worldwide market for salmon is estimated to be worth USD 10.7 billion per annum and the estimated cost of sea lice for the global market amounts to USD 1 billion.

"Sea lice are a major challenge for the sustainable growth of the salmon industry. Our main objective as a company is to produce innovative treatments which ensure the good health and welfare of farmed fish, that are highly efficacious and have no significant impact on the environment," commented Malcolm Pye, CEO of Benchmark.

The executive stressed that the firm continues to invest in a range of new technologies to tackle the sea lice challenge, including biological control such as lumpfish production and vaccine development.
 
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