Protecting salmon farms against sea lice

The global need for protein is growing. Salmon is an excellent source of animal protein, with a relatively small carbon footprint.

The Norwegian authorities have set a goal to increase production fivefold by 2050. Sea lice, however, pose the greatest challenge to achieving this goal. The parasite feeds on salmon’s skin and tissue, making the fish more prone to infection, trauma and stress.

In 2016 alone, 53 million salmon died in their pens in Norwegian fish farms, mostly due to sea lice. Sea lice have, moreover, been a leading cause for cost increases in fish farming in the 2010s, according to a 2017 EY report.

Keeping the lice out

Blue Lice’s patented system consists of physical units which are placed around a fish farming pen. Each unit is a trap that lures in sea lice through a combination of attractors and then destroys them. The system takes advantage of the sea lice’s instincts by amplifying attractors, light and odorant, making the trap more attractive than the salmon.

Preventing sea lice from entering fish farms in the first place minimises the need for treatment, which often involves stressful fish handling or potentially harmful drugs or chemicals. Use of Blue Lice’s system in combination with other measures such as sea lice skirts will keep the number of sea lice below permitted limits.

Concrete benefits

Blue Lice’s solution improves fish welfare as well as product quality and production rate. The system is cost effective, scalable and sustainable. It is also non-invasive to fish and does not interfere with daily fish farm operations.

Market potential

Norwegian farmed salmon accounted for about 53 per cent of global production in 2015. With 12 000 salmon pens worldwide, the global market potential for Blue Lice’s solution is estimated at USD 4.3 billion.

Blue Lice has finished a collaboration with two salmon farms owned by the Norwegian company Ellingsen Seafood with promising results. The company is now ready to onboard new customers.