Aquaculture and Fisheries

Video

To keep the lice problem in check, farmers execute weekly manual counting and registering of the lice, hot water washing of the fish, and other time-consuming and costly activities. As the number of salmon that is examined is low, the lice data is unreliable. Consequently, it may lead to unnecessary measures or the omission of more appropriate action. This is particularly problematic when the solution to eliminate the lice can be using chemicals, which can have a devastating effect on other marine life. Ecotone asked EGGS to help develop a practical solution to the inefficient and challenging sea lice counting process.

Automating monitoring of farmed fish

The system sends information about the amount and type of lice to a control centre via a cloud-based solution in real-time. All this without manually handling the fish.

System

The result of the project is SpectraLice®, an automatic lice counter. The device, composed of a camera and sensors, continuously and automatically counts lice on the salmon as they are swimming by. By applying service design and involving users in the process, we gained valuable insights. The product design and digital design have continuously been tested with users and in the environment. This part of the process has been vital, as the device needs to withstand harsh weather conditions and fluctuations in temperature. It has also helped in developing the SpectraLice 

Brand Identity

User insights brought SpectraLice to life

The system sends information about the amount and type of lice to a control centre via a cloud-based solution in real-time. All this without manually handling the fish. That way, the sea lice data is much more reliable, and salmon producers can make better-informed decisions. For example, it is much easier to know when delousing needs to be done and when not, which helps keep costs down. Moreover, using chemicals can be lessened, avoiding damaging surrounding marine life.

Cutting costs while minimising environmental impact

The device, composed of a camera and sensors, continuously and automatically counts lice on the salmon as they are swimming in the cage. The improved precision of sea lice counting can provide valuable data which can help get a better overview of the sea lice situation throughout the Norwegian aquaculture industry and contribute to further research on the salmon lice problem.

Automatic sea lice counter