NEWS

Fusion Marine delivers new cages that will aid development of Shetland aquaculture

Fish farm equipment supplier Fusion Marine has delivered two sets of sea cages that will be used in experimental trials by the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland.

The specially designed polyethylene (PE) cages will play an instrumental role in a range of experimental trials at the centre’s fish farm research site near Scalloway. The small six metre square cages are ideal for such a purpose, given that their compact nature makes them convenient for researchers to carry out scientific work.

Comprising two blocks of six individual cages, the units will form a valuable working platform for a range of studies including vaccine and feed trials as well as for the farming of species new to aquaculture.

The cages have already been earmarked for trials to assess the effectiveness of using ‘cleaner’ wrasse as a biological lice treatment for salmon.

Stewart Sales, NAFC technical fish farming manager, said: “In Shetland, the industry has been calling for more research into the farming of finfish and the installation of these square cages is the first stage of that important process. This is very much an industry-led initiative.”

Neil Blackadder, production manager for Fusion Marine, said: “These small cages have been specially designed for research tasks as they provide a safe and convenient means of carrying out important trials on finfish culture.”

As part of the supply package, Fusion Marine developed a new safety decking system for this specification of cage, which is based on its successful injection moulded design already widely used by major fish farming companies. The new decking will also give Fusion the opportunity to offer safety decking to smaller aquaculture operations such UK trout farms and for overseas markets.

The cages for Shetland have been produced with support from the UHI research and development funding grant. Financial backing has also been received from industry representative body Shetland Aquaculture, which will provide a liaison group to prioritise research projects. Its members will also supply fish, feed,additional equipment and manpower to support the NAFC Marine Centre’s resources.