Containment - Hvalpsund
STOCK PROTECTION: pushing the boundaries
SOLVING A PROBLEM THAT COSTS AUSTRALIAN FARMERS UP TO $18 MILLION PER YEAR
The outer seal net rises 2.8 metres above the water
ed company – farming, processing and selling premium quality Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout products to domestic and international markets. As the only 100 per cent Australian-owned salmon farming business in Aus- tralia, HUON employs over 480 staff and will produce around 15,000 tonnes of salmon and trout this year. HUON’s owners, Peter and Frances Bender, approached the Danish net manufacturer at Aquanor back in 2011, as they wanted to fi nd partners to develop a new system to keep out seals and birds. Seals, in particular, prove a real headache in Tasmania, costing the company in the region of $12-18 million AUD per year. These costs come from direct losses caused by seals getting into the pens and killing fi sh, as well as deaths caused by stress induced in the salmon by the seal attacks. Moreover, the risk of attacks means that the company needs to have dedicated teams of staff patrol- ling the marine farm leases day and night, in an attempt to
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ver the last three years Hvalpsund has been involved in developing a revolutionary new stock protection system for Huon Aquacul- ture (HUON). HUON is a vertically integrat-
keep seals away from the pens and off the collars, as well as employing extra personnel to release any seals that get into the pens. Not only is killing seals strictly forbidden in Australia, but any death of a seal would also be very nega- tively perceived by the public.
SAVINGS
As a result, the company recognized that huge savings could be achieved by developing a better way to fence off the seals from attacking fi sh and to improve safety for personnel working on the farms. They had tried various net materials in the past, but with poor effect, and now they wanted to go into a completely new direction that would improve safety for both fi sh and personnel. Hvalpsund suggested a trial using the ultra-strong and light Dyneema®
fi bre for the nets – a material they have
plenty of experience of working with. Some of the early tests showed that it was not enough just to spec up the twine size, however – fi nding the right combination of twine size and strength and combining both knotted and raschel knotless materials eventually proved to be the key. As no other salmon farm in the world had ever
www.fishfarmer-magazine.com
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