Aqua Nor has received a record number of applications for this year’s Nor-Fishing Foundation Innovation Award with a total of 30 entrants from 11 countries.
Three finalists have been selected by the jury which comprises section manager Kjell Maroni of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Fund, senior advisor Oddvar Staulen of Innovation Norway and senior advisor Jan Henrik Sandberg of the Norwegian Fishermen's Association.
Benchmark Animal Health has developed a water purification system for the aquaculture industry to prevent medicines entering the sea. ‘CleanTreat’ is currently deployed in Norway, working alongside wellboats to remove medicines from sea lice bath treatment water and has, to date, processed more than 300,000m3.
Ecotone from Trondheim in Norway has developed ‘SpectraLice’, a fully automatic underwater camera that counts lice on freely swimming salmon. The camera counts and reports salmon lice via 4G networks to the desired platform and can also report to authorities and researchers as desired.
Another Norwegian company, Mørenot Robotics, has developed an autonomous underwater robot that prevents fouling growth on the net by using a continuous low-intensity brushing. ‘NetRobot X2’ has electric thrusters that ensure proper pressure against the net and manoeuvring according to the operating pattern of cleaning the entire net wall.
The Board of the Nor-Fishing Foundation will review the jury's recommendations on 19 August and the prize of NOK100K and a diploma will be presented to the winner on the opening day of Aqua Nor on 20 August.
