Grieg Seafood BC will be using a new vessel to remove sea lice from its farm-raised salmon sometime in the new year.

On Dec. 21, Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. announced it has entered a three-year contract with Njord Marine Service Ltd. valued at $11 million annually for the service of its delousing vessel. This 24-metre vessel, called Coastal Server, is equipped with a mechanical delousing system that can remove sea lice from farmed salmon.

Coastal Server and its delousing system will be used by Grieg at its farms on both the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island, as well as the Sunshine Coast. The vessel will also provide regular maintenance support to these farms.

The delousing system it features is the SkaMik 1.5, which uses a combination of soft rotating brushes and low-pressure water nozzles to remove sea lice. The mechanical delousing system can be used on fish of all sizes and can treat up to 150 metric tonnes of fish per hour under ideal conditions, helping to limit the use of chemical and medical treatments, according to the company.

B次元官网网址淎s an organization, we are committed to reducing the overall impact from our operations,B次元官网网址� said Rocky Boschman, managing director for Grieg Seafood BC Ltd., in a press release.

The SkaMik 1.5 system removes 97 per cent of sea lice in all life cycle stages, said Boschman.

B次元官网网址淭he process itself is incredibly quick B次元官网网址� with each fish only spending about 1.5 seconds in the delousing system,B次元官网网址� said Dean Trethewey, Grieg seawater production, certifications and regulatory director. B次元官网网址淭his helps to reduce stress for the fish, and enables us to treat entire farms within a matter of days with an immediate reduction of lice in the region.B次元官网网址�

Sea lice that are removed from farmed fish are then disposed of on land, says Grieg.

The vessel is currently clearing Canadian Customs and Transport Canada. Grieg hopes to have it in use at its farm by January 2022 B次元官网网址� in time for out migration of juvenile wild salmon.

B次元官网网址淭his isnB次元官网网址檛 a coincidence, but by design, as we recognize the importance of maintaining low lice levels during this critical window,B次元官网网址� said Trethewey.

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