The trial of British Columbia-based Cermaq Canada's new semi-closed containment system is officially underway with smolts successfully stocked, according to the company.
The system is unique in using a patented material to form a barrier around the pen, which is designed to limit interaction with wild salmon, while providing additional benefits to the farmed fish.
The system is the first of its kind in Canada, though it has been successfully trialed in Norwegian waters by Cermaq Norway.
David Kiemele, Cermaq Canada's managing director said the system "essentially eliminates the transfer of lice from wild salmon to our farmed populations."
"We are also excited to see how the farmed populations perform in the system in Canadian waters," he added. "In Norway, we have seen our fish grow faster and have better overall performance."
The system is located on a farm site in the Ahousaht Nation territory and has been adapted to local waters by using four deep-water intakes to draw water into the system from depths between 22 and 27 meters.
The goal of the pilot trial is to determine the feasibility of the system in Canadian waters, as well as analyze the performance of fish within the system as compared to control groups of fish which have been stocked in an adjacent traditional netpen system.
The trial will run until the summer of 2022, when fish are harvested from the site.
Canada has recently released a report detailing the four technology systems salmon farmers could use to move away from netpen farming by 2025, per Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party campaign promise. Closed containment systems were analyzed as one alternative by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
