Commercial scale validation and testing of nano-filtered seawater treatments for Sea-lice on Atlantic salmon (copy)
1 Purpose: This project examines the feasibility and practical application of a newly developed way to produce bathing water for the control of sealice in Atlantic salmon under commercial production conditions in Norway. This potentially replaces the need for using ambient freshwater and can the bathing water can be produced at significantly lower cost than that produced by reverse osmosis. The efficacy of the produced water will be documents.
2 Distress: The project involves the commercial handling and bathing of fish infected with sealice. The bathing treatments are in line with commercial standards and sealice infestation levels equivalent to those regulated within Norway. The brackish nature of the produced bathing water reduces acute osmotic shock to the fish during bathing. Therefore distress to the fish will be minimal.
3 Expected benefit: The use of this produced water will ensure effective control of sealice (and potentially amoebic gill disease) using well boat or tarpaulin treatments offering an alternative procedure to using freshwater - a benefit in locations where freshwater resources may be limited. This also offers a lower welfare impact alternative to the use of mechanical delicing technologies at locations where these may be limited.
4 Number of animals, and what kind: Because of the commercial nature of this study 812 000 Atlantic salmon under standard production conditions and de-lousing conditions will be used.
5 How to adhere to 3R: The use of fish is unavoidable as the purpose of the research is to assess efficacy of a new method for treating sea lice infestations and potentially AGD in farmed Atlantic salmon. This method is economically and environmentally more sustainable than some alternatives and offers to improve fish welfare during de lousing treatments. In order to test such treatments that have had success in the laboratory and in overseas deployment, under Norwegian conditions in Norwegian fish farms, large scale validation is required. Thus commercially relevant numbers of fish will be required to be used. However, the study is designed such that as testing progresses, a series of stop/go points are in place to review efficacy at each step of testing to optimize fish welfare concerns.
2 Distress: The project involves the commercial handling and bathing of fish infected with sealice. The bathing treatments are in line with commercial standards and sealice infestation levels equivalent to those regulated within Norway. The brackish nature of the produced bathing water reduces acute osmotic shock to the fish during bathing. Therefore distress to the fish will be minimal.
3 Expected benefit: The use of this produced water will ensure effective control of sealice (and potentially amoebic gill disease) using well boat or tarpaulin treatments offering an alternative procedure to using freshwater - a benefit in locations where freshwater resources may be limited. This also offers a lower welfare impact alternative to the use of mechanical delicing technologies at locations where these may be limited.
4 Number of animals, and what kind: Because of the commercial nature of this study 812 000 Atlantic salmon under standard production conditions and de-lousing conditions will be used.
5 How to adhere to 3R: The use of fish is unavoidable as the purpose of the research is to assess efficacy of a new method for treating sea lice infestations and potentially AGD in farmed Atlantic salmon. This method is economically and environmentally more sustainable than some alternatives and offers to improve fish welfare during de lousing treatments. In order to test such treatments that have had success in the laboratory and in overseas deployment, under Norwegian conditions in Norwegian fish farms, large scale validation is required. Thus commercially relevant numbers of fish will be required to be used. However, the study is designed such that as testing progresses, a series of stop/go points are in place to review efficacy at each step of testing to optimize fish welfare concerns.