Lice are a huge problem. If this solution works, it must not be implemented that widely. The news is full of solutions like physical washing, thermic treatment (basically hot baths), loads of chemicals, also huge amounts of chlorine poured into surrounding rivers because the fish escape the farms and spread lice. The lice are really adaptive. There are more and more lice due to higher sea temperatures[0] and increased resistance to treatments.
[0] https://www-nrk-no.translate.goog/nordland/hoye-temperaturer...
Recently covered by SciShow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWciW1y18O0
Pretty good summary! I somehow forgot about the cleaner fish :)
In the beginning of the PhD, to help with rent I contracted to help develop computer vision algorithms in this field, only PoCs, never got very far.
And interesting thing is that the lice apparently evolve super fast, including getting translucent and resistant against poison
That's interesting! They might also evolve a tendency towards moving to the left flank of the fish.
Reminds me of the evolution of fish that prey on scales of other fish to have two distinct types with the mouth on the right or left:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perissodus_microlepis
Depending on which type is more frequent the other is more successful because the prey is more cautions on the other side...
edit: spelling
My comment was half in gentle jest, but you have really found a relevant example there - thanks for sharing. I guess I have a potential PhD project if I ever want to get into maritime biology: "The Dark Side of the Fish: How Crafty Parasites Outmaneuver High-Tech Pest Control"
Fish are known to swim in both directions.
I guess they swim in the direction of the majority which is probably always the same in a circular tank with many fish.
you can move the laser too!
I’ve noticed that selective pressure on shrimp in an aquarium leads to colour morphs very, very quickly. I bet lice are the same.
I’ve had tanks where shrimp will match their surroundings quite closely within a year or so. This would be due to some micro predator being present and picking off any babies that are easy to see. Shrimp have babies frequently and the only ones that survive in those conditions are able to blend in really well. Every 2.5 months or so a new generation becomes sexually mature and has dozens of babies every 8 weeks or so.
It’s a fun hobby because you can actually develop your own morphs in a matter of only years if you want to.
So it’s not necessarily evolution, but pigments developing (or not) due to environmental pressures.
There are plenty of other problems with keeping fish in concentration camps.
Industrial approaches applied to living beings are just nasty, period.
Can they be mounted on sharks?
Heard about this several years ago and while it's very cool technology, it's sadly also like putting makeup on a pig. Fish health in those tanks is terrible. The entire idea of farming fish is terrible. The best idea they've come up with so far to avoid sickness is moving those farm tanks onto land so they can be as controlled as possible. I find it to be a bleak industry.
https://www.vetinst.no/nyheter/fiskehelserapporten-2022-inte...
I would love to see more data on this. Their site makes some bold claims, but it is hard to know how to quantify the effectiveness of the laser treatment, How many units do you need per X fish? After how many hours/ days/ weeks does it take to reduce the parasites to X levels?
Not critiquing the technology, just hard to visualize as someone with no knowledge or experience in the field.
If the laser is powerfull enough to kill sea-lice then how does it avoid blinding the fish or giving them retina burn?
As long as the fish can still find food that might not matter in a farm environment
That seems a somewhat callous disregard for the fish, blinded and swimming around with itchy eyes from burned out retina.
Yeah, it's definitely unethical. I doubt the farmers care though
The hyphen makes all the difference here.
This is exactly the sort of thing I got into tech for. Real world, no bullshit solutions to problems.
I love it.
Only available in Norway, https://www.stingray.no/delousing-with-laser/?lang=en
> technology combines stereo machine vision, advanced software and high-precision laser to target and kill parasites that infect farmed fish.
What are the falling pellets?
It concentrates fish on one spot
Food.
Sea lice I assumed
It would be more interesting to see what the camera of the system sees.
I wonder if this feels good for the fish?
Deloused in the Oceaneum
Is that safe? What if someone falls into the tank?
oh man dont I just love lasers, just saying laser makes me feel good, more laser and dont I hate parisites and vermin, laser, zap more zap, less horrible blood suckers, and vermin got a small hobby farm....wont use poisons...so I know, probably not going to get rat lazers, but laser powered rat detectors before it gets all kinetic on there dirty rat asses...,snacks for the ravens
Title was a little confusing; Stringray is just the name of the laser, which is being used to remove sea lice from salmon. Very cool.
Stingray removed from the title above. Thanks!