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UTENRIKS-Internasjonale forhold - utenriks- og sikkerhetspolitikk og norske interesser

Live king crab welfare monitoring throughout logistics

Alternative title: Måling av velferd ved sending av levende kongekrabbe

Awarded: NOK 2.3 mill.

Live seafood in general and live king crabs in particular is a booming trend in the seafood industry. However, several challenges are linked to catch, storage and sending of live seafood where animal welfare and mortality are the two major ones. And these two challenges go hand in hand - optimal animal welfare lowers the mortality and increases profitability. Norway King Crab AS is the leading player in a live king crab industry in Norway. Our main tool for improving our business is R&D. Through scientific projects we have optimized several steps in our value chain. Optimal catch handling, optimal packing, introduction of new packing methods (changed from styrofoam to paper boxes), all of these factors have reduced mortality significantly since we started. All these results came from our scientific work. A vital tool in our work has been a heart monitoring system used in our factory to study what factors stress our king crab. We now want to further strengthen our position. This time we want to develop and use a portable heart monitoring system that can be used throughout the whole value chain. Specifically, we want to use it in closed recirculating water tanks where crabs are temporary stored on the way to or in the market. So far, all our research and development activities are carried out accordingly to the plan and in close coordination with all partners involved in the project. Main points/achievements so far are: 1) meeting and discussion in St. Petersburg that was focused on engineering a Heart Activity Monitoring System (HAMS), design of experimental units; 2) designing an experimental platform inside the Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, RAS, at Norway King Crab Hub; 3) testing of new package materials: chilltainers vs Dry Pack boxes; 4) initial testing of Tex Oe solution for reducing stress factors that impact crabs throughout logistics; 5) prototype of experimental HAMS tested and approved in flow-through system at Norway King Crab Production; 6) meeting and discussion with Aqui-S focused on using anesthetic solutions for the red king crab throughout logistics; 7) red king crab heart activity monitored under new storage conditions; 8) initial testing of transportation of live king crab in the water from Finnmark to Oslo; 9) in collaboration with package producer adjusted paper boxes with aluminum layer for better insulation; 10) tested 20 kg boxes to increase netto load per packing unit; 11) Testing storage of live king crab in aqualife container, using HAMS; 12)King crab heart activity monitoring during flight, takeoff and landing; 13) The requirements for the bioelectronics system (BES)for the real-time water quality control in the RAS of Norway King Crab Hub were discussed. The BES control is based on the selected red king crab specimen heart activity (HR) noninvasive registration. Some technical details of the developed prototype have been tested, regarding special king crab locomotors activity in the aquarium system, compared to the related crabs and crayfish species; 14) Water transport of live shrimps (Pandalus borealis) and live sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) tested throughout logistics from Finnmark to the NKC HUB, Oppaker; 15) Water transport of live langoustines (Nephrops Norvegicus) tested throughout logistics from Møre-Romsdal to NKC HUB, Oppaker; 16) Live storage testing of shrimps, sea urchins and langoustines in RAS of NKC HUB; 17) New package methods for langoustines live storage and dry pack sending developed and tested; 18) Water transport of live brown crab (Cancer pagurus) from Frøya has been tested; 19) New package methods for brown crab live storage and dry pack sending developed and tested; 20) HAMS technology approbated for langoustines (Nephrops Norvegicus) and lobsters (Homarus gammarus), during storage in artificial conditions; 21)Nano ice technology approbated for red king crab and langoustines; 22)New oxygenating technology explored for implementing in CRWS of NKC HUB, to achieve optimal oxygen saturation/levels; 23) Red king crab physiological responses for exposure to different ammonia levels examined; 24) Red king crab heart activity monitored under long term storage in AQL container, connected to CRWS; 25) New biofilter technologies reviewed and discussed, testing plan designed; 26) Bioelectronic system (BES) prototype tested in lab conditions; 27)Bioelectronic system (BES) installed and implemented in the RAS, at Norway King Crab HUB; 28)New technology for live storage of crustaceans, developed by EMYG, evaluated and updated regarding biological requirements of red king crab and langoustines; 29)HAMS used to examine langoustines (Nephrops Norvegicus) physiological responses to rapid temperature and salinity changes; 30) HAMS used to examine lobsters (Homarus Gammarus) physiological responses to rapid temperature and salinity changes; 31) Innovative biofilter substrate and bacterial culture trialed.

1. Optimised packing - saving of up to 1 kg per 10 kg box. 2. Animal welfare during fishing and receiving of the red king crab improved / more efficient resource use, better economy, higher quality product on the market. 3. Aqualife technology tested and approved - game changer for the whole logistical chain. More flexibility, stable transport solution, better survival rate throughout logistics. 4. Bio electronic system for heart activity monitoring of the red king crab and other species throughout logistics developed and implemented. 5. New specie, langoustines (Nephrops norvegicus), tested and involved on live storage logistics.

Norway King Crab Production will in this project focus on optimal animal welfare during initial storing (continuation of previous work), transport, re-tanking in closed recycling systems and final transport to end customers. The main tasks to achieve the goals of the project: a. Engineering of portable heart activity monitoring system b. Engineering of stationary heart activity monitoring system in the plants and adapting to CRWS c. Developing of rapid analysis method of achieved data d. Developing alarm systems based on heart activity monitoring of crustaceans e. Heart activity monitoring during transportation by car/by plane, dry and in water f. Heart activity monitoring during adaptation and recovery in closed recirculating system g. Heart activity monitoring under different water quality levels h. Heart activity monitoring under different packing/storage conditions i. Heart activity monitoring under anesthetic treatment Cardiac activity has been developed for species of crab (Bamber & Depledge; 1997) and crawfish (Kholodkevich et al; 2007, 2008). The cardiac signals obtained in these large crustaceans allow more sophisticated pulsometric analyses than molluscs, providing more detailed information and interpretation (Fedotov et al.; 2002 a,b,c). Analysing changes of the heart activity of the red king crab under impacts of typical routines during live storage and transportation we can determine main stress factors and find the way to improve welfare aspects of technology. To insure maximum welfare level, the engineering, adaptation and implementation of permanent monitoring systems is needed. To low down the stress level of live crustaceans throughout logistics, anesthetic treatment is used but has never been tested on live red king crab, snow crab etc.

Funding scheme:

UTENRIKS-Internasjonale forhold - utenriks- og sikkerhetspolitikk og norske interesser