Semi-autonomous cleaner fish feeding system

Salmon farmers consider sea lice as the biggest threat to their industry. Over the last decade, salmon producers in Norway and Scotland have lost ~260,000T/yr (10%) from parasitic sea lice infestation, costing ~£275m/year. Wholesale cost of farmed and wild salmon rose 50% from 2016, as fish farmers from Scotland to Norway and Chile tried to tackle sea lice.

Anti-parasitic vaccines help control sea lice but, treatments are environmentally toxic and reduce quality of fish for consumers. The preferred alternative is to use cleaner-fish (e.g. wrasse and lumpfish) which opportunistically graze on salmon feed pellets (every 2-hours) and supplement their diets by eating the sea lice off the salmon; there are no diets currently available which meet the nutritional needs of cleaner-fish. As a result, cleaner-fish develop diet-related cataracts, reducing sea-lice consumption - sea lice continue to proliferate.

Presently there is no feed which specifically meets the nutritional needs of cleaner-fish. World Feeds aims to engineer a bespoke cleaner-fish diet and feeding-station, which will allow salmon farmers to autonomously feed cleaner-fish.