Novel cage design set for launch
Sulefisk will be trialling Ecomerden's novel floating closed containment cage on smollts in the next few weeks.
After five years of development and construction the company will tow the cage from Bergen to Solund where the farming company Sulefisk will stock it with smolts. It took two months to complete the cage at Noryards BMV Laksevåg in Norway, but the cage is mainly produced in France and the Philippines.
"After the cage is moored at its final location, we have to do a lot of testing for a few weeks, just to check that everything works as its supposed to. According to our schedule the cage should be ready for the fish around the 10th of June," says Jan Erik Kyrkjebø from Ecomerden.
Sitting on the fence
This will be the first Ecomerden cage ever launched and Kyrkjebø says that there is great interest in the technology.
"I have received many requests from the industry, but they are sitting on the fence and will wait to see how this goes. In the case of Sulefisk, they also got a green license marked Ecomerden in addition to this R&D license," he informs.
"The idea is to produce smolts from 100 grams to one kilogram. The water is pumped in from a depth of 27 meters, therefore we avoid lice. The benefits are a more robust smolt and reduced ongrowing time in open cages. This results in a lower risk of infections, parasites, escapes, lower mortality and lower cost of treatments," he explains.
There is also a mud pump installed in the middle of the cage.
Dimensions
The cage is 6000 cubic metres and consists of a floating collar of steel with various pumps and components, as well as a special tarpaulin on the outer surface.
"The size of the cage can be easily adjusted as it is modular and can be welded together with single batons. The float collar is sinking secure with a reserve buoyancy of 27 tonnes. The bottom ring is made of the most robust fabric ever made in the marine sector and acts as a stiffener, ensuring that it does not collapse," he said.
The Eco cage is also equipped with splash screens up to two metres above the water.
