Oxygen monitoring and injection in salmon cages

The involved companies are the following:

– OxSeaVision AS: developing technology, project

management, patentee (since 2001)
– Storvik AS: distribution of technology in Chile, Scotland, Canada
& Norway (since 2005)
– EWOS Innovation: project execution on own research sites
(Dirdal,Oltesvik, Lønningdal)
– IRIS: R&D partner, documentation/report preparation

In addition, there is entered into agreements with several

gass suppliers

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 Oxygen monitoring and injection in salmon cages

• Procedure:
– Monitoring of temperature, salinity, current and dissolved
oxygen (DO) outside fish cages (Aanderaa sampler, 3 – 10 m
depth)
– Monitoring of DO in cages with / without oxygen injection
– Fish performance: Growth, feed utilisation, mortality

• Since 2001, trials have been performed emphasizing the period

July – Oct/Nov (max temperature & fish biomass)

• Cage farms in Norway (North & South), Canada, Tasmania

and Chile

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 Dissolved oxygen concentration and growth rate in fish
supplied three different feeding rates (Jobling,1993)

R1 – R3: increasing feeding rates

C1 – C3: critical DO concentration to maintain maximum growth rate at High –
Medium-Low feeding rate
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 Dissolved oxygen concentration vs.growth rate – feed
utilisation in adult salmon at low temperature

Growth rate Feed utilisation

0.60 1.20 y = -0.0051x + 1.3881

0.55 1.15 R2 = 0.7795
1.10
SGR (%/day)

0.50

FCR (kg/kg)
1.05
0.45
1.00
0.40
0.95
0.35 y = 0.0052x + 0.0573
0.90
R2 = 0.8819
0.30 0.85
0.25 0.80
50 60 70 80 90 100 50 60 70 80 90 100
DO saturation (%) DO saturation (%)

Trial at EWOS Innovation Dirdal: 24 April – 17 June 2002

Temperature: 8 - 9ºC
Ind. Fish size: 0.5 – 1.0 kg

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 Dissolved oxygen concentration and ventilation
frequency in adult salmon at high temperature

Ventilation frequency

100
90
80
70
Vf (no./min)

60 10-Sep
50 24-Sep
40 6-Oct
30
20
10
0
High Medium Low Fluctuating

Trial at EWOS Innovation Dirdal: August – December 2004

Trial period: 24 Aug – 19 Oct (56 days): four different DO levels (90 – 75 – 65 -
60/90 % of saturation), 19 Oct – 20 Dec: > 90% of DO saturation
Temperature: 14.5 – 16 ºC
Fish size: 2.5 – 4 kg
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 Hydrographic monitoring outside salmon cages,
EWOS Innovation Grotnes, Aug. 2002. 5 m depth

Temperature Salinity

22 34
20 32
30
Degree C

18
28

ppt
16
26
14
24
12 22
10 20
7.8.02 12.8.02 17.8.02 22.8.02 27.8.02 7.8.02 12.8.02 17.8.02 22.8.02 27.8.02

Dissolved oxygen Current velocity

120 30
110 25
% saturation

100
20
90

cm/s
15
80
10
70
5
60
50 0
7.8.02 12.8.02 17.8.02 22.8.02 27.8.02
7.8.02 12.8.02 17.8.02 22.8.02 27.8.02

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 Weekly mortality of adult salmon at EWOS Innovation
Grotnes, May – Oct. 2002

6000 8
7
5000

Accumulated (%))
6
Morts per week

4000
5
3000 4
3
2000
2
1000
1
0 0
19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43
Week No.

Number %

Week No. 36: 4 – 11 September

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 Dissolved oxygen concentration outside salmon
cages, northern Norway,Aug. – Oct. 2005.
Farm: Sinkaberg-
Sinkaberg-Hansens. Depth: 5.5 m

Dissolved oxygen Dissolved oxygen

110 100

100 90
90
% saturation

% saturation
80
80
70
70
60
60

50 50
40 40
22-Aug 1-Sep 11-Sep 21-Sep 1-Oct 2-Oct 12-Oct 22-Oct 1-Nov 11-Nov

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 Dissolved oxygen concentration outside and within
salmon cage, northern Norway, 2-2-3 Nov 2005. (Farm:
Kvarø
Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett)

110

100

90
Outside cages
Within cage
80

70

60
00:00 06:00 12:00 18:00 00:00 06:00 12:00

Time

Mean outside cage: 94.94 % (101 – 82.6)

Mean within cage: 80.07 % (82.6 – 67.0)

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 Pacific National Aquaculture,Canada, dissolved oxygen
concentration in salmon cage, October 2002

Dissolved oxygen

100

80
% saturation

60

40

20

0
5-Oct 7-Oct 9-Oct 11-Oct 13-Oct 15-Oct 17-Oct

Temperature: 14 ºC, salinity: 33 ppt

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 Dissolved oxygen concentration in a salmon cage,Caleta
La Arena , Chile, 27 Dec. 05 – 24 Jan. 06

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40
26-Dec 31-Dec 5-Jan 10-Jan 15-Jan 20-Jan 25-Jan

Temperature: 14 ºC
Salinity: 33 ppt
Stocking density: approx.. 15 kg/m3
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(0-5 m depth)
 Components of OxSeaVision’
OxSeaVision’s commercial equipment for
oxygen injection in fish cages

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 OxyVision™ Cage
(control panel for oxygen dosage & -state)

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 Oxygen injection in three salmon cages, OxSeaVision’
OxSeaVision’s
system, EWOS Innovation Oltesvik 2003

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 Dissolved oxygen concentration in two salmon cages with/without
oxygen injection and outside the cages (Reference), EWOS
Innovation Oltesvik, 28 Sep. 2003

DO Oxygen injection Cage 9

100
95 10
% of saturation

90
85 8

kg/30 min
80
75 6
70
65 4
60
55 2
50
0
0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00
0:00 6:00 12:00 18:00 0:00
Time (hrs)
Time (hrs)
Cage 9 Cage 10 Reference

Cage 9: oxygen injected cage (OSV), set-point: 85% of saturation

Cage 10: cage without oxygen injection
Reference: outside cages
Sampling points at 3 m depth

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 Frequency distribution of DO in two salmon cages with/without
oxygen injection and outside, EWOS Innovation Oltesvik,
September – October 2003

DO frequency distribution

110
105
100
% of saturation

95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

Cage 9 Cage 10 Reference

Cage 9: injected oxygen (OSV), set-point: 85% of saturation

Cage 10: no oxygen injection
Reference: outside cages
Monitoring at 3 m depth

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 Salmon performance in two cages with/without oxygen
injection, EWOS Innovation Oltesvik, June - October
2003

Factor Without oxygen With oxygen

SGR, % per day 0.50 0.58*
FCR, kg feed/kg gain 1.27 1.20
Mortality, % 1.7 1.1
*: significant difference (p<0.05)

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 Performance and profit of two salmon cages with/without
oxygen injection, EWOS Innovation Oltesvik,
June - October 2003

Without oxygen With oxygen

Oxygen supply (kg/cage) - 4700
Ind. weight increase (g) 1816 2106
Biomass increase (kg/cage) 32700 37900
Feed consumption (kg/cage) 41500 45400

Extra gross income (NOK/cage) 104000

Extra costs (oxygen, feed) (NOK/cage) 40000
Extra net income less
investment (NOK/cage) 64000

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