Smir Launches New Tool for Salmon Lice Prevention
Editor/ Mohamed shihab
New UV-LED Technology Aims to Protect Fish in Open Pens Without Handling Smir is introducing new technology to combat sea lice with its UV unit, UVCuro.
"We've known for a long time that UV light has a very good effect on lice larvae and their further development," says Frode Rygh, Sales Manager at Smir Group. "With UVCuro, we are now introducing this method for the first time as an active preventive measure against salmon lice in open pens."
A New Approach to Protecting Fish.The water treatment system combines a skirt placed around the pen with an energy-efficient pump. This pump circulates water through the UVCuro unit, which irradiates the water inside the pen. Because the UV treatment occurs in a closed system, the fish are not touched or handled, remaining completely shielded. This is a significant departure from traditional methods that require handling the fish, which can cause stress.
"We've taken a completely new approach here, with a solution that treats the cage environment around the fish, without the fish being touched or handled," Rygh explains.The system is designed for continuous operation and requires minimal maintenance while keeping energy consumption low.
Promising Research Results
Unlike older, mercury-based UV lamps, UVCuro uses modern UVC-LED light. This technology offers higher energy efficiency, a longer lifespan, and reduced operating costs.
To validate the effectiveness of this new technology on salmon lice, NTNU Taskforce Lakselus conducted a research project on behalf of Smir. In the study, lice larvae were exposed to different doses of UVC light from LEDs before being used in infection experiments on fish
According to Rygh, the trials yielded very positive results. "After NTNU conducted the trials, we can clearly see that UVC-LED also has a very good effect by reducing the ability of the lice larvae to infect the salmon and develop into mobile stages."
Maja Hatlebakk, a researcher and project manager for the study at NTNU, confirmed these findings. "We have seen clear effects of UVC-LED irradiation on lice larvae in laboratory experiments, both in the form of a reduced ability to infect the fish and a limitation in further development to mobile stages."
Smir’s latest innovation was presented for the first time at the Aqua Nor conference. "We look forward to launching the technology at Aqua Nor and expect to have the first unit ready for delivery shortly," Rygh concludes.
ساحة النقاش