LiceTube 2 is plunged into full-scale testing
A Norwegian invention known as the LiceTube 2 is to be tested at full scale for the first time by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR).
Norwegian fisheries minister Harald Tom Nesvik christened the machine – named the Harald T - at the IMR’s research station in Austevoll on Tuesday.
The LiceTube 2 is the latest iteration of the concept devised by inventor Henry Helgheim and owned by CLT Solutions AS. Salmon farmer Lerøy, the co-owner of Scottish Sea Farms, has also been involved in the project.
Scanned for everything
The idea behind the LiceTube is that lights and a current are used to attract the fish into a large tube and onwards into a smaller tube.
Once inside the smaller tube it is dazzled by a special light so that it remains still, like a rabbit in a car’s headlights. This allows it to be scanned for everything from length and weight, to injuries and deformities and whether it has lice. If it has lice, they are quickly and effectively detected and removed.
The fish is then released into the cage through the end of the small tube.
Tested in aquarium
“I am convinced that we will reach our goal,” Helgheim told Fish Farming Expert’s sister site, Kyst.no.
“We have come a long way now. I see that we need a great international player who can get this out into the world. This piece is not in place and this work must start when we have finished testing here in about one month.”
A smaller version of the LiceTube has previously been located at Bergen Aquarium, and Helgheim said the development team had gained a lot of experience during the testing there.
“It went beyond all expectation. It is quite complicated and a lot of technology, and it is very gratifying that the technology has worked well,” said the inventor.
Strobe light
One of the lessons Helgheim and CLT Solutions learned during testing at the aquarium was the effect of light and strobe light on the fish.
“We have found during the testing which colours attract the fish, while combining it with water flow. We have acquired a very good expertise in what the salmon are triggered by,” said Helgheim.
Now that the LiceTube will be tested in cages at the IMR, one of the things they want to find out is how many fish go through the system in a day.
“There is a sensor in the housing on LiceTube that counts how many fish pass. We can monitor both that and the control and regulation of light 24/7 on mobile and data. So, there may be late nights for me,” quipped Helgheim.
