Reverse osmosis system set for BC
Marine Harvest's new shipping division, a partnership with Deep Sea Supply, is due to build a new wellboat for its Canadian operations that is equipped with a reverse osmosis system that allows it to deliver chemical-free treatments against sea lice.
The $35 million (CND) investment demonstrates MHC's commitment to reducing the need for chemical sea lice treatments and the 75-metre vessel is due to be delivered in late 2017.
The managing director of MHC, Vincent Erenst, said the arrival of the new boat will be a game-changer for their business: "This vessel allows us to provide freshwater therapy regularly to all our salmon," he said in a press release.
With a water holding capacity of about 3000 cubic metres, an onboard reverse osmosis system will turn saltwater into freshwater.
This latest innovation will provide contained freshwater baths to help improve gill health and fish quality by naturally removing and capturing external parasites found commonly in the ocean, and at the same time, reduce the need for chemical intervention.
By immersing the salmon in freshwater, parasites and bacteria that cannot tolerate low salinities are killed or removed. But the short exposure to freshwater does not cause harm to the fish, and is a common procedure in aquatic animal health.
“Freshwater baths are used in other aquaculture regions around the world to aid in fish health management,” said Marine Harvest's Dr Diane Morrison. “Our local trials have shown that the same method is extremely effective at removing sea lice and improving gill quality on our fish.”
