Fangstinnretning for pukkellaks med automatisk sorteringssystem

Pink salmon have a 2-year life cycle, and thus far, only odd-numbered stocks have increased in number. In recent odd-numbered years, this has become a major problem, risking serious impact on populations of naturally occurring species of salmonids, other biodiversity, water quality and the health of both wild and farmed fish. Since 2015, the number of pink salmon in Norwegian rivers has grown exponentially. Previously, this mainly affected rivers in Varanger, but the phenomenon is now spreading steadily westwards. Through dialogue with researchers in Russia, the County Governor of Troms and Finnmark has received information indicating that we must assume that the situation could become much worse if pink salmon are allowed to spawn in an uncontrolled manner in the coming years. The Russian rivers on the Kola Peninsula and the White Sea are a few years ahead of what we are seeing in Norwegian rivers, and they give us a picture of how things may be expected to develop if we do not implement effective countermeasures. Norway tries to control the numbers of pink salmon by blocking off the estuaries and sorting out the unwanted species, while allowing the indigenous species through. The sorting is done manually, which involves considerable cost and effort. In addition, trapping and sorting the fish has adverse effects, such as delayed migration and the fact that fish can be harmed when handled prior to being released again. Stress and mechanical injury to the skin can result in a breeding ground for diseases, especially fungal infections. The main objective of the project is to develop a solution that can distinguish pink salmon from Atlantic salmon without involving physical human contact and which can prevent pink salmon from spawning in the river.

Pukkellaks er en fremmed fiskeart som har spredd seg til Norge etter utsettinger i Nord-Vest Russland. De siste årene har dette utviklet seg til et stort problem, med risiko for mange alvorlige effekter på bestander av naturlig forekommende arter av laksefisk, annet biologisk mangfold, vannkvalitet og fiskehelsen til både villfisk og oppdrettsfisk. Siden 2015 har antall pukkellaks i norske elver hatt en eksponentiell vekst. Vi ser etter en løsning som kan redusere bestanden betraktelig Pr i dag finnes det ikke noen komplette løsninger som kan begrense pukkellaksen uten at det fører til mye manuelt arbeid. Men etter å ha vært i kontakt med markedet ser det ut til at det skal være mulig å få utvikle en løsning hvis flere fagmiljøer samarbeider om en komplett fangstinnretning for pukkellaks med automatisk sorterinssystem