The Ronja Carrier, chartered from the Norwegian company Solvtrans, is in the Bay of Fundy for the next six months to help salmon farmers control sea lice on salmon farms. Salmon will be carefully pumped from the farm enclosure into the hold of the well boat where they will be immersed in a mixture of seawater and approved therapeutant to remove sea lice, a naturally occurring parasite. Fish are then returned to their enclosure.
INTEROX® PARAMOVE® 50, or hydrogen peroxide, is also being introduced for use in the well boat. This product is environmentally friendly and will not build up in the environment or in the salmon itself. Hydrogen peroxide degrades quickly to water and oxygen in the presence of organic material and aeration.
The NBSGA, by chartering the well boat on behalf of a cooperative of all salmon farming companies in the region, is bringing this technology to Canada for the first time in order to reduce by half, the amount of bath product required per treatment, while improving treatment efficacy of each bath treatment and to support the use of hydrogen peroxide.
This is another example of the NB salmon farming industry being responsive to fish health concerns. This intiative with further support the refinement of an effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy for sea lice that is founded upon good husbandry and fish health practices such as bay management, fallowing, crop rotation and low stocking densities.
However, it also relies on access to a broad range of sea lice management tools whose use is based on current science and a comprehensive research program.