According to Dagens Naeringsliv, Norwegian millionaire Ola Braanaas would rather get rid of salmon lice than have to use his new boat for delousing.
Braanaas, who is the founder and owner of the Norwegian company Firda, invested in the boat “Firda Fighter” to combat lice. It was built in Turkey and arrived in Norway in February. The boat is designed for thermal delousing and can handle up to 200 tonnes of salmon per hour.
“The best thing is if the boat stays idle and the problems with lice are being resolved,” said Ola Braanaas.
Although he acknowledges there are different causes of stress to fish, the goal is to reduce this strain on the fish through efficient and good handling methods.
Braanaas calls the boat a “crazy investment”, and believes it sends out a signal to those who say the company does not do anything to combat lice.
Prior to investing in the boat, the company spent between €2.5-3.0m a year to purchase services for delousing.
According to Braanaas, the biggest advantage of having their own boat for delousing is that the company itself can control the work schedule and use the boat whenever needed.
