Atlantis Subsea Farming has released fish in the submersible pens for the third and final round at the Otervika facility on the border between Nordland and Trøndelag, Norway.
RELEASE: The operation was well planned and went according to plan - the fish quickly calmed down after release. Photo: SinkabergHansen/Tom Lysø
Fish of approx. 1.5-2.0 kg were released in two submersible pens, respectively 170,000 in each pen. This is the first time biomass of this size has been put in a pen and submerged 30 meters below the surface.
With biomass from both Atlantis and SinkabergHansen, the fish will remain in the submersible pens until harvesting this autumn. When the fish has been harvested, the project will be evaluated towards the target criteria and conversion of the development permit will be considered.
The fish was in good health and virtually free of lice when released. The lice development will be monitored in-depth with Aquabyte's system as it is important to have the pen submerged as much as possible to avoid lice infestation.
"The fish quickly calmed down after release and we are now closely monitoring swimming speed, behaviour and feeding. The fish will learn to use the air dome to fill the swim bladder and get used to life at depth," says Project Manager Trude Olafsen. "There has been a fantastic effort from the entire project team to prepare everything for the release - not least from those who work at the site."
{{cta('faf97e3a-5e9a-4caf-85af-d227e9e233ed')}}
The facility is rigged with four submersible pens to gain experience with several pens at one frame mooring. Based on the experiences from previous rounds, technical changes have been made to the cable and control system, buoys and air dome.
In 2018, Atlantis Subsea Farming was awarded a development permit to test submersible pen systems. Atlantis Subsea Farming AS is owned by SinkabergHansen, AKVA group ASA and Egersund Net AS
Contact: Project Manager Trude Olafsen, TOlafsen@akvagroup.com, 91557400
Atlantis is submerged at the Otervika facility with 170,000 fish. Photo: Tina Oldham/Havforskningsinstituttet
Site manager at Otervika, Rolf Skjærvø (SinkabergHansen), is very pleased that Atlantis is now full of fish. Photo: SinkabergHansen/Tom Lysø
Frode Oppedal from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research closely monitors the fish's behaviour in the control room of Atlantis on the feed barge after the submerging of fish. Photo: SinkabergHansen/Tom Lysø