FLEXAQUA

Aquaculture Operations with Reliable Flexible Shielding Technologies for Prevention of Infestation in Offshore and Coastal Areas

Coordinator

Dr Pascal Klebert, SINTEF Ocean, Norway

Consortium

Project Abstract

The aim is to improve aquaculture systems by advancing economically sustainable practices and fish welfare utilizing advanced technical and scientific methods. The partners will investigate and improve the use of flexible shielding skirts to prevent ectoparasite infestations (e.g. sea lice) in relation to finfish farming, investigate the effect of marine organisms growth on these structures and suggest innovative, safe and efficient underwater monitoring procedures. To accomplish the project goals, validated numerical fluid-structure-interaction (FSI) methods and 3D underwater image processing tools will be used. Further project outputs are sensor placement and deployment strategies as well as frameworks for combining numerical methods and image processing tools to deliver solutions for cost-efficient structural health monitoring of complex marine infrastructures.

FLEXAQUA is funded by the MarTERA partners Research Council of Norway (RCN) and Irish Marine Institute (MI) and co-funded by the European Union.