By pumping large amounts of fresh seawater up from the depths and into the net-pens, you ensure that the salmon have access to cold and oxygen-rich water, while keeping the lice larvae away by using physical barriers. Vortex® from ScaleAQ protects the fish and gives them a better biotope.
Permanent measures against salmon lice
Today, Norwegian fish farmers largely manage to comply with the lice limit requirements through the use of repeated treatment operations. However, the high levels of stress such operations cause in the fish result in reduced biological performance and production.¹
This is not the case with Vortex®.
What is Vortex®?
Vortex® is a semi-closed aquaculture system. Salmon lice thrive best in the upper layers of the ocean, and this is why there is a cover over the top of the net that stops the lice from entering the net-pen. In order to get enough fresh seawater, Vortex® pumps lice-free seawater up from the depths below the net-pen.
Torstein Kristensen, Head of Biology in ScaleAQ
“ScaleAQ's ambition is to offer a system that gives the fish the opportunity to grow quickly, while safeguarding fish health, economy and sustainability. We expect that Vortex® will significantly limit lice infestation, and thus improve biology and welfare”.
Better water quality
The cold water that is pumped in also contributes to a circular flow of water inside the net-pen. Vortex® therefore ensures better oxygen conditions as well as better flow conditions. The system also allows fish farmers to actively regulate the flow rate to ideal levels, which the fish thrive and grow well in.
Lower temperature variations
In addition, the water that is pumped up from the depths helps to avoid both high summer temperatures and the lowest winter temperatures.