Project: BIFF - Daithi O’Murchu Marine Research Station (DOMMRC)

Abstract

**Environmentally Friendly Fish Farming and use of Cleaner Fish (ECOFISH)**
General Information
INTERREG Programme	Northern Periphery Programme
Project duration	3 years	Lead Partner	Bioforsk
Start date	1st January 2008	End date	31st Dec 2010
Total Partners	5	Irish Partners	2
Total project cost	€1,594,966

The objective of the partnership is to minimise the environmental impact of salmonid and gadoid aquaculture by the use of hatchery produced cleaner fish to remove parasitic sea lice thereby reducing the use of therapeutic treatments

As well as having an environmental benefit, the use of wrasse should allay concerns from increasingly knowledgeable consumers and retailers who demand that the food they eat should be produced sustainably and without unnecessary treatments Indeed, these concerns have lead to a rapid increase in demand for organically produced food , Hence by obviating the need to use chemicals to remove lice, this project should bring benefits to the farmers, not only directly via reduced losses due to sea lice related problems, but should also allow them to more easily exploit the lucrative organic market and give their products a marketing advantage over those originating from other areas such as Chile. The project intends to deliver the methods and technology to produce cleaner fish for use by the cod and salmon farming industry in all of the partner countries. The physical outcome of the project will be a substantial number of wrasse for field application for proving the technique on fish farms in partner countries. Dedicated wrasse production hatcheries will be established in Ireland, Norway and in Scotland. These will develop successful rearing techniques and production methods through close collaboration and exchange of information amongst the partners, their associates, the aquaculture industry, governments and regulators.

Partners	Project Leader
DOMMRS Martin Ryan Institute, NUIG, Galway Ireland. Viking Fish Farm Ltd, Scotland. Bodø University College, Norway.	The Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research Bioforsk, Norway.