Fish farmer's moonshot pays off

Norway salmon farmer Eide has ordered four of its self-developed Watermoon floating closed containment fish pens after the success of a pilot project.

The company made the announcement during a visit by Norway fisheries minister Marianne Sivertsen Naess yesterday. Watermoon version 2.0 will be launched before the end of the year.

“We are pleased with the results of the Watermoon project,” Eide managing director Sondre Eide said in a press release.

Completely lice-free

“We have had 200,000 fish caged, completely free of lice or the need for delousing, which ensures better fish welfare and opportunities for increased production. The sludge collection rate is on par with, or higher than, the best land-based facilities, and the quality of the fish in the facility has been very good.”

The company said large-scale operations were far more demanding than its previous small-scale pilots, which is why it had conducted stress tests of the technology to learn as much as possible in a short time. 

“We will never stop innovating, but with the zero-emission technology Watermoon version 2.0 we are taking another big step forward,” said Sondre Eide. Four new Watermoon version 2.0 systems have been ordered and will be in place in the sea before the end of the year.

Improvements to version 2.0 include better biological control, new design calculated for operation in more weather-exposed areas, and improved cleaning functions that reduce the risk of human error.

“I don't think there are many other technologies that have been tested as thoroughly on such a large scale as Watermoon. When we are going to invest in production with zero-emission technology, it is important to know as much as possible in advance - and we are doing that now,” said Eide.

He is looking forward to the upcoming aquaculture report, in which the government has signalled a focus on zero-emission technology, something many fish farmers want to see incentivised. 

Government must deliver

“It is positive that the government is signalling new incentives for environmentally friendly technology. I think the minister was clear about the direction she wanted. Now the Storting (Parliament) and the government must follow up when the aquaculture report comes,” said Eide.

“We at Eide think it’s great to be able to farm fish completely free of lice, and it was great for us to show the Watermoon technology to the minister. We’re taking the politicians at their word and investing everything now so that we can solve the lice problem, improve fish welfare and reduce our footprint. We’re simply ready.”