Akvaplan-niva wins Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries environmental award

Akvaplan-niva has been granted an environmental award from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. The award was handed out at Aqua Nor in Trondheim by the Minister of Fisheries Elisabeth Aspaker and the Director General of Fisheries Liv Holmefjord. The company was granted the award for its efforts in the development of lumpfish as a cleaner fish in fish farming.

Sea lice is considered to be one of the most challenging task in Norwegian salmon farming. Today sea lice is fought through using a combination of chemicals and cleaner fish. The Directorate of Fisheries explains that the award to Akvaplan-niva by the possibilities that use of lumpfish can have for reducing chemical treatment and the pressure on wild stocks of cleaner fish.

-Research on lumpfish has been a prioritized task for Akvaplan-niva and we are therefore very pleased to be receiving this acknowledgement from the Directorate of Fisheries, says the director for the Aquaculture R&D department at Akvaplan-niva, Albert Imsland. He adds that the institution is also proud to be providing the industry with a new tool in its struggles to deal with sea lice.

For 30 years Akvaplan-niva has been involved in projects providing knowledge and practical advice to the fish farming industry, not only in Norway but in many parts of the world. Through combining research, sector-knowledge and practical experience, the aquaculture team at the institute work to provide industry partners and government agencies with the best possible advice for environmentally safe and economically viable fish farming operations.