FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY
Fish welfare Docking station for cleaner fish by SeaNest, Estro, Norway
“Why hasn’t anyone thought about this before?” clients keep telling us. We take it as a compliment, and it’s nice to see that SeaNest excites with its simplicity in terms of deployment and taking it out of the water after use. And the sturdy construction without any loose parts. With a calming/dampening function for the lumpfish, SeaNest provides a surface where the lumpfish can rest. And due to its shape and connection point (swivel), SeaNest works well also in areas with strong underwater current (this has been proven with customers like Mowi in Norway). The first test units were put in operation at the end of August 2018, giving us close to two years’ data and experience.
History
It all started back in 2017 when developing SeaNest first started. Our first prototype was tested with Marine Harvest (now Mowi) at one of their facilities in the Hardanger Fjord. Test results were already positive from the early prototype and, going forward, the focus has been upon continuously improving upon our great starting point. It has been a journey very much done together with customers, and by mid-2018 we did a larger scale test with 100 units placed at four-to-five different fish farms in Norway. Following nearly six months of testing, SeaNest was ready for a full scale launch, starting with deliveries to customers like Bremnes Seashore, NovaSea and Mowi. We now continually work to improve the product even further with a clear goal to be the preferred solution for cleaner fish and fish farmers in the battle against sealice. “Good mentors and pro-active fish farmers, providing facilities during the development phase, shall have a large part of the credit for the product having received such a good reception in the aquaculture industry, an industry where cleaner fish is such an important part of everyday life,” says Trond Marøy of Estro, the 46 | September 2020 - International Aquafeed