UCO and Mowi aim to adapt it so that it can cull sick salmon © UCO
The partnership will focus on further enhancing UCO’s “Foover” system, which is currently used to collect dead fish from the pens. The companies say that they aim to develop capabilities for monitoring and removing surface moribund fish, both to help the producer maintain its high level of superior-grade fish at harvest (96 percent) and to help improve salmon welfare standards.
"Fish welfare is one of the most important concerns in modern aquaculture. By combining our expertise with Mowi’s industry-leading practices, we believe we can develop solutions that set new benchmarks for fish welfare," said Jamie Smith, business development manager at UCO, in a press release.
The development is part of an agreement that will see a 40 percent expansion in the number of ROVs taken by Mowi for use on its sites. Over the last five years, the use of ROV systems on Mowi farm sites has increased significantly. In a new extended agreement, Mowi has increased its ROV fleet to a record high of 25 Foover units.
According to UCO, the Foover provides selective, efficient, and verifiable removal of mortalities from net pens and has proven vital in maintaining a high level of welfare among salmon stock, particularly in dealing with unpredictable environmental challenges such as jellyfish and algae blooms.
