Stopping lice before they attach to the salmon
The first deliveries of a device that irradiates larvae with UV light to prevent them developing further are due to take place next month
Published
A new tool to reduce the impact of sea lice on farmed salmon will to put into use on commercial fish farms in Norway for the first time this summer.
The first UVCuro units from aquaculture technology company Smir AS will be delivered to several smaller fish farmers in Norway towards the end of June.
UVCuro is designed for open pens with lice skirts. Water in the pen is pumped through the unit and treated with ultraviolet light before being returned. The UV exposure destroys the ability of lice larvae in the water passing through the device to develop further.
A new approach
Smir, which has a range of products that include the Hydrolicer delousing system, waterborne feeders, and fish handling solutions, unveiled the UVCuro concept at Aqua Nor in Trondheim last year and showcased its commercial model at the HavExpo trade show at Sotra Arena in the greater Bergen area this week.
Chief executive Øyvind Nymark and marketing manager Roy Schjølberg Brevik say UVCuro represents a new way of thinking about lice prevention.
“Our basic idea is to break a link in the lice early, so that we avoid affecting the fish,” they told Fish Farming Expert’s Norwegian sister site, Kyst.no, at HavExpo.
“It is the water that passes through the unit that is irradiated. The fish are not affected at all. This is a passive device that works continuously in the cage without the need for much supervision.”
2-3 kWh consumption
The company points out that the technology can help reduce both lice pressure and the need for delousing, while also having low energy consumption.
“The device uses around 2-3 kWh, which is an important point for us. It should be able to stay in the cage for a long time without requiring much energy.”
The UV unit is still in its early commercial phase. Smir has conducted pilot tests in the sea and is now working to gather more documentation on its effects.
“We had a pilot out before Christmas that ran for a few months. It gave us a lot of useful information. Now we have developed our first commercial model.”
Data will take time
Nymark and Brevik emphasise that it will take time to document the full effect.
“To be able to say for sure how many delousings can be saved, this needs to be tested over a longer period of time. We are still early in the race.”
The development of the technology has been ongoing for several years, with roots in research work and collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
An important technological shift early in development came when the company moved away from traditional mercury-based UV lamps in favour of UVC-LEDs.
“Power consumption was simply too high with the old solutions. LED technology has made this possible.”
According to the Smir managers, the pilot phase has confirmed the technology itself, while further work has largely been about practical improvements.
“We have made adjustments to the design, capacity, and pump solutions. It is largely about user-friendliness and operation in the field.”
