Thermolicer treats 6 million in Shetland
Scotland’s first Thermolicer system has now treated six million salmon in Shetland, in the process recording a lice clearance rate of 95%.
The device was delivered to Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) in July, but has been used to treat fish not only for SSF, but also for Greig Seafood Shetland and Cooke Aquaculture. The Norwegian-built system cost over £4 million, of which £425,000 came from Marine Scotland via the EMFF. The EMFF project was facilitated by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), with partners Cooke Aquaculture and Grieg Seafood, as part of an ongoing initiative to deliver non-medicinal approaches to control sea lice.
SFF spent many months training staff in Norway to use the system and is now cooperating with other farmers, sharing the use and knowledge of best practice and reducing the requirement for medicinal treatments. The device capitalizes on the fact that lice have a low tolerance for changes in temperature, exposing the fish to water warmed to 20-22 degrees above the temperature of the sea for a short period so that the lice drop off, before being destroyed in a filter system. It can treat around 40 tonnes of salmon an hour.
Assessing the health status of fish prior to a Thermolicer treatment is an essential part of the decision-making process for fish health and welfare. If there is an underlying health issue, due to previous environmental challenges, then other control measures are considered. This strict best practice ensures high standards of fish welfare.
Dr Ralph Bickerdike, SSF’s Head of Fish Health, commented: “Having access to a new tool, which works in a completely different way to our other control measures, is a major achievement for the Scottish Industry. It complements the other innovative solutions we are employing, such as biological control.”
Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing said: “The Scottish Government has invested significantly to research and develop innovative, long-term, sustainable options for the control and management of sea lice on Scottish fish farms, both by establishing the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre and ensuring that EMFF funding is being used effectively to tackle this issue. I am pleased to see the impact our support is having – innovation in this field is exactly what we want to encourage.”
