KelpRing – A natural habitat for cleaner fish (RD132)

Project Outcome:

The KelpRing is an innovative new product for use in the salmon farming industry.  With sea lice being the Scottish aquaculture industry’s biggest problem and cleaner fish a highly effective tool in their control, this innovation aims to lessen the very high mortality rate of cleaner fish by providing them with their own natural kelp forest habitat within the salmon pens.

The objective of the trial was to obtain information for the wider commercialisation of the KelpRing; showing enhancement of fish welfare with anticipated benefits to the longevity and productivity of the cleaner fish in sea lice control, and also testing the design and structure as regards the ease with which normal fish farming procedures can be undertaken.

KelpRings were deployed in salmon sea pens in a practical, industrial scale sea trial, creating a kelp forest in which the cleaner fish could hide and interact with the salmon in a more natural environment closer to what the fish experience in the wild. Many positive behaviours were observed during the trial – fish swimming, resting and hiding in the KelpRing. This is promising in indicating the benefits for the health and welfare of the cleaner fish. The fish were also shown to heavily favour the natural kelp over the fake plastic hides currently used in the industry.

The trial has also highlighted the additional benefit of salmon using them to shelter in during times of stress and as interesting swim-throughs in normal times, thereby increasing their environmental enrichment within the pens.

For more on this project’s previous work, see here.