Scottish-based fishing and aquaculture equipment supplier Gael Force Group has progressed plans to deliver its integrated SeaQureFarm in 2024 by establishing a partnership with Cunningham Covers of Northern Ireland for the prototyping and production of its new semi-closed aquaculture containment solution, SeaQureWell.
According to Gael Force, SeaQureFarm has the potential to unlock global ambition for a greener, carbon-friendly, and more efficient way of producing healthy nutritious food protein through improving the sustainability of farming of the seas. It is designed to deliver improved fish health, reduced predation, prevent seabed depositions and reduce egg-to-plate emissions while enabling on-farm circular economies and turning a waste problem into an energy solution.
Gael Force has stated it is open to partnering with finfish producers in Scotland to trial a project next year and welcomes approaches from customers.
“By announcing this next major step forward in the development of SeaQureFarm we continue to demonstrate our commitment to the continual improvement of a greener, carbon-friendly way to sustainably produce a healthy, nutritious food protein,” Gael Force Group Managing Director Stewart Graham said. “We share the sector’s ambition of minimising environmental footprint and moving closer to a goal of achieving net zero.”
As an integral part of SeaQureFarm, the SeaQureWell is an arrangement where seawater is pumped and pushed into a floating enclosed well with its floating collar at the sea surface. The collar supports the well and its pumping arrangements which lift deeper coastal water into the well creating an in-well temperature profile that’s warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
The SeaQureWell will be constructed of engineered high-quality composite membrane material that will be cut and welded to form the well, with structural floatation at the surface and a rigid sub-surface service and support structure. It will seek to provide and maintain a secure controlled environment to safeguard healthy growing fish against external environmental threats to the fish from sea lice, gill amoeba, jellyfish and algae blooms as well as protect against sea mammal predation.
Additionally, faecal depositions along with any uneaten food will also be captured in the well for on-site recovery and reduction for reuse.
Gael Force has been developing its SeaQureFarm concept for several years. Last year it commissioned aquaculture expert Knut Senstad to deliver a highly detailed business case for the concept, revealing key economic, health and environmental savings in a range of farming scenarios.
Cunningham Covers is known for its expertise and large factory capacity in the manufacturing of protective covers and containment products from high-tech, high-strength flexible materials. Its experience in creating durable and customised solutions spans more than 50 years, and today it produces and supplies a range of specialised cover products for aerospace, offshore and aquaculture applications, including freshwater treatment bags, freshwater storage bags, lice skirts and other custom tarpaulin textile products.
“We are delighted to be a long-term partner with Gael Force in this project. Our two companies share core values and ethos, as well as a long-term ambition to grow our presence together in the semi-closed containment fish farming sector, combining the considerable and complementary strengths of both companies,” Cunningham Covers Managing Director David Cunningham said.
For the partnership, Gael Force and Cunningham Covers have also entered a supply partner agreement with Serge Ferrari, a global leader in flexible composite materials. Serge Ferrari will provide a fabric technology that enhances the performance and durability of the SeaQureWell system.
