Grieg Seafood BC adds new delousing vessels to its fleet

Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. has committed an additional $11 million annually in its efforts to reduce sea lice populations, while also reducing overall medication and chemical use.

The Campbell River, BC-based company has entered into a three-year contract with Njord Marine Service Ltd. for the service of the Coastal Server, a 24-metre all-purpose vessel which has been fitted with a SkaMik 1.5 mechanical delousing system. The vessel and delousing system will be used on both the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

“As an organization, we are committed to reducing the overall impact from our operations,” said Rocky Boschman, managing director at Grieg Seafood BC. “Sea lice remains one of the biggest issues, and the new vessel and SkaMik 1.5 systems are a welcome addition to our toolbox, as not only does the system remove over 97 per cent of sea lice in all lifecycle stages, it uses no medication or chemicals. It captures the removed lice for disposal on land, reducing the overall lice population in the region.”

The SkaMik 1.5 mechanical delousing system in use (Photo: Grieg Seafood BC Ltd.)

The SkaMik 1.5 delousing system uses soft rotating brushes and low-pressure water nozzles to remove sea lice. It can treat up to 150 metric tonnes of fish per hour under ideal conditions. The entire treatment time per fish is about 1.5 seconds.

The new vessel is self-contained and can travel easily between Grieg farms.

The company also said there are plans to arrange for community tours of the vessel, along with community celebrations later in 2022, when safe to do so within pandemic restrictions.