Oxygenation — long a mainstay of Canadian salmon farms — is really taking off in Chile, Norway and Scotland of late, judging by an influx of emails to SalmonBusiness and the fortunes of one Norwegian supplier.
OxyVision in Surnadal, Norway, have had so many orders to install oxygenating diffusor systems in net-pens that they’ve run out of the diffusers that release the oxygen-rich bubbles. Aeration of this type is common in marinas but its benefits for wintertime fish-farm operations are being seen, and the bubbles are believed to help everything from gill health to preventing lice from attaching themselves to keeping the carbon-oxygen balance where it should be.
Nose for demand
Sensing the demand, Canadian aeration systems producer, CPI Equipment, too, is trying to make inroads in new markets, especially Norway. They’ve long sold to Scotland and in their home market, but they confirmed for SalmonBusiness today that they see more and are keen to make contact with Norwegian fish-farm owners.
Judging by OxyVision’s experience with rampant demand, that looks highly likely. In a press release, the company has said that oxygen levels in the oceans have been variable of late, prompting many fish-farmers to place orders for more oxygenation.
Read Marine heatwaves to happen more often
“In just a few months, Netox (company’s patented aeration system) has gone out to nearly 300 pens,” OxyVision managing director, Martin Gausen, said in a statement.
“We’re talking about many miles of aeration hoses. We didn’t reckon so many,” he said. The company has had to hire people in over the winter to meet demand.
Exports
While Norwegian demand is strong, Chile and Australia have absorbed so many OxyVision orders that shortages of some component parts have occurred. Company stores have been replenished, however.
“Diffuser hoses are actually old news,” Gausen said, adding, “It’s been used for many years in de-licing. The interest now is coming first and foremost from salmon-farmers who want to secure (fish) growth during times of the year when the sea holds little oxygen.”
The OxyVision system is tied to a pen’s nets. It’s oxygen generator supplies a whole net-pen array with oxygen.
