Salmon farmers could benefit from a new sea lice treatment to delouse fish without harming the environment.
CleanTreat cleanses the treatment water after delousing in well boats and ensures the water is clean before it is released back into the fjords.
“Chemical based bath treatments that are released into the fjords is one of the biggest objections to the salmon farming industry. CleanTreat solves this environmental challenge,” said Malcom Pye, CEO of Benchmark, which developed the technology.
The purification unit also prevents all removed lice from returning to the sea, so that they will not spread resistance to the treatment.
Mr Pye said that the solution will now be further developed with industry with scalable trials being conducted in partnership with Norwegian salmon farming companies.
“The future lies in preventative methods against sea lice, and Benchmark is currently developing such solutions,” he said.
“Aquaculture is a young industry. In our work with the agriculture sector we have also seen challenges that looked impossible at first glance. However, there are always solutions. It is only a question of time before we find them.”
British innovation company Benchmark first started working with the aquaculture industry in 2004 through Fish Vet Group. Its aim is to find sustainable solutions to the industry’s challenges.
Salmobreed, Stofnfiskur and INVE are all part of the Benchmark group.
CleanTreat can be used with most licensed bath treatments.
