ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

  • Reduces medicinal and chemical usage, therefore reducing discharges  and residues in the marine environment.
  • Reduces plastic use in the marine environment, preventing the degradation and disintegration of  fake plastic kelp into the sea.
  • Reduces the carbon footprint of expensive and high energy treatment methods utilising generators, pumps, large marine vessels and the transit between sites of vessels employed in lice treatments.
  • Reduces pressure on the natural environment by reducing the number of wild caught wrasse required by the industry.
  • Manufactured from recycleable and reusable materials, KelpRing is part of the circular economy enabling resources to be managed within environmental limitations.

FISH WELFARE BENEFITS

  • Provides the cleaner fish with their natural habitat, reducing stress and optimising fish health and welfare.
  • Keeps the cleaner fish in the lice zone within the pens.
  • Allows the fish to graze on their natural diet of molluscs etc which will grow on the kelp plants and in return will ensure that the kelp keeps healthy.
  • A symbiotic relationship exists between the kelp plants and the cleaner fish as noted by the way the wrasse rub themselves against the plants
  • Natural antibiotic properties have been noted within kelp from research in the Faroe Islands, resulting in enhanced lumpfish health when these fish graze on the plants in Faroese salmon farms
  • Kelp absorbs and thrives on the nitrates and phosphates in salmon waste and through photosynthesis diffuses oxygen into the cages

FINANCIAL BENEFITS

  • Reduction in the number of expensive treatments required.
  • Effective lice control 24/7 throughout the whole period of the salmon cycle.
  • Increased productivity and salmon growth rates through the reduction in treatments.
  • Reduction in losses of both salmon and cleaner fish during existing sea lice treatments.
  • Increased longevity of cleaner fish resulting in reduced costs of replacement fish.
  • Cost savings and other benefits resulting from the reduction in man hours currently spent cleaning fake plastic hides given that kelp is naturally kelp self-cleaning

INDUSTRY BENEFITS

  • Assists companies to show they are moving 'beyond compliance' and demonstrates commitment to good environmental performance and sustainability.
  • Commitment to fish welfare enhances the reputation of the industry and increases consumer confidence.
  • Supermarket wholesale buyers recognise that improved fish welfare results in a superior quality salmon.
  • Will help the industry achieve its ambitious production goals, with fish welfare and environmental concerns to the fore.
  • Low maintenance with natural kelp being 'self-cleaning' - reduction in man hours involved in maintenance of fake kelp hides.

Fake Kelp V Natural Kelp.

1.50 minute video showing the preference of the cleaner fish between the present industry standard of fake plastic kelp and the natural living kelp forest of the KelpRing.