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The sea louse is no larger than a house fly, but for years it has been the biggest headache for Norway's more than 1,200 fish farms. It feeds off the salmon's skin and blood, sometimes leading to open wounds.
The 5.1 billion euro export industry has so far failed to get a grip on the problem, which costs some 310 million euro in lost revenue every year. Chemicals in the water and medicine mixed in with the fish feed has had some success, but the parasite is becoming resistent to more and more of these treatments. |
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Underwater laser
Hence the race for alternative methods to fight sea lice is on. On an industrial estate in the Norwegian capital Oslo, a team of engineers with the "Stingray" company believe they have a solution that sounds like it comes straight out of a science fiction movie: a laser gun.
Science
Norwegian fish farms fight sea lice with 'Star Wars'
An Oslo firm have developed a laser gun which kills an out-of-control parasite threatening Norway's massive aquaculture industry.
A fish being hit by a laser. (Photo: dw / R. Cameron)
The sea louse is no larger than a house fly, but for years it has been the biggest headache for Norway's more than 1,200 fish farms. It feeds off the salmon's skin and blood, sometimes leading to open wounds.
The 5.1 billion euro export industry has so far failed to get a grip on the problem, which costs some 310 million euro in lost revenue every year. Chemicals in the water and medicine mixed in with the fish feed has had some success, but the parasite is becoming resistent to more and more of these treatments.
Underwater laser
Hence the race for alternative methods to fight sea lice is on. On an industrial estate in the Norwegian capital Oslo, a team of engineers with the "Stingray" company believe they have a solution that sounds like it comes straight out of a science fiction movie: a laser gun.
Fish farm in Norway. (Photo: Stingray)
More than 1,200 fish farms in Norway offer up innumerable hosts for the sea lice
"The first time I heard about sea lice, I googled it to see what it looked like, and my first idea was to shoot it with a laser," explains Esben Beck, an entrepreneur with background in Norway's oil industry.
"I got laughed at a lot, because the initial thought of the majority of people I spoke to was that this couldn't be done," he says.
But Beck insists that shooting sea lice on a moving target - the salmon host - is not as difficult as it sounds. |
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