Aquaculture supplier NorseAqua and Faroese service equipment supplier MP Teknik have signed agreements with salmon producers in the Faroe Islands in order to battle sea lice and gill disease and improve the health, welfare, and growth of fish in cages.
The Faroese fish farmers will add 16 tons of equipment of Midt-Norsk Ring aeration systems to their sites to prevent stagnant water flow caused by the use of lice skirts in order to improve the water quality in the upper level of the cages.
The technology and product were originally developed by Frank Øren, Managing Director of Midt Norsk Havbruk (MNH). The company currently owns the patent on the Midt-Norsk Ring, as part of their strategy in the battle against sea lice and gill disease and to improve the health, welfare and growth of fish.
NorseAqua produces the undercage aeration systems in their factory in Terråk, Norway. The systems sold to the Faroes are often used in combination with lice skirts to prevent sea lice from entering cages.
“By using lice skirts, the water in the top 7-10 meters of the cage can easily drop in quality,” said Haakon Lund, Sales Manager, NorseAqua.
“Poor water flow and low oxygen levels can negatively affect fish growth and welfare and can sometimes even cause damage to the fish’s gills. To prevent this from happening, farmers here in the Faroes have been testing the Midt-Norsk Ring, which has proven to be highly effective.”
“The principle is simple and very effective,” said Ole Andreas Kristoffersen, key account manager Arctic, NorseAqua.
The aeration system lifts water from below upwards in the cage to provide continuous water circulation through the upper levels of the pen. It circulates the water to create a more homogenous environment throughout the water column. This helps prevent various unwanted health issues, such as gill disease.
“We are very proud of the service, trust, and collaboration with our customers and suppliers”, says Petur i Gong, CEO and owner of MP Teknik. “We would like to thank NorseAaqua, Naviagare Shipping & Logistics and our customers”.
“Neither farmer nor fish benefit from poor water quality, so it is vital that we find ways to offer salmon the best possible conditions,” said i Gong, CEO, MP Teknik, which has been installing the Midt-Norsk Ring solution at several sites in the Faroes. “NorseAqua produces a high-quality solution that can withstand harsh conditions that we face here regularly while taking care of the needs of the fish.”
“Our collaboration with MP Teknik has been very successful and provided a great deal of insight into the Faroese fish farming industry that we will apply as we continue our research and development into solutions that make fish farming both more efficient and more sustainable,” said Kristoffersen.
