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Green aquaculture innovations

The industry is under renewed pressure to embrace more sustainable practices to safeguard an increasingly fragile environment. Measures to prevent fouling of nets without the use of toxic chemicals are constantly being developed.

February 14, 2019  By Hatchery International Staff


Steen-Hansen researcher checks paint formulas. The industry is under renewed pressure to embrace more sustainable practices

In the European Union, the need for more environmentally friendly net protection products is amplified by the introduction of the biocidal products regulation (BPR) in 2013, which aims to ensure that biocides (including disinfectants, preservatives and pest control chemicals) are safe to use for humans and the environment.

Norwegian company Steen-Hansen has introduced copper-free and copper-reduced anti-fouling and coating products for the aquaculture industry. “The real game-changing effect is mainly driven by reducing copper emissions to the environment. By introducing a new alternative biocide to the aquaculture industry, Econea by Janssen Pharmaceutical, we believe that this will on many occasions replace copper as the main active ingredient in the anti-fouling. Econea is a bio degradable molecule with a half life period of 7 to 14 hours water temperature,” Jarle Akse, key account manager at Steen-Hansen AS, tells Hatchery International.

Akse believes fish farming in net pens will remain the dominant way of fish farming for many years ahead. “Especially in Norway these days, due to the environmental impact and exposure to diseases and sea lice in traditional fish farming…. we believe in more environment-friendly way of farming with a clean net with a high-grade anti-fouling. By reducing the need for in-situ cleaning, reducing the required number of net changing operations and increasing the life cycle of the nets the cost benefits will be significant, most of all because of the reduced loss of growth and mortalities due to stress and crowding,” he says.

Innovation Norway has awarded the company with a NOK5.7 million (roughly US$672,000) grant. “The award of funding is about a more efficient and lean production cycle, for example implementing closed loop handling of hazardous materials, and the outcome will be our contribution to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly aquaculture industry,” Akse said.

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