Liftup AS explains how its innovative systems are being used to remove waste from fish farms safely and efficiently.
Liftup AS is a world leader in the development, production, and distribution of mortality removal systems for use in fish farm cages. The pumps are developed and produced in our factory on the west coast of Norway. Our company has agents and partners in Scotland, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Canada, and Chile, who offer installation assistance, service and equipment parts to customers.
Liftup pumps are simple and robust in their construction and use compressed air to lift the fish from the bottom of the cages to the surface for removal by boat and onward treatment. Our pumps have been delivered to fish farming companies all over the world, principally in the salmon farming sector, and within the segment of automated mortality removal equipment. We account for around 90% of the total world supply in this niche market. Daily removal of mortalities from the cages is vital to maintain a healthy and sanitary environment for the remaining livestock.
We engage in substantial and constant R&D which includes the following developments.
Back-to-Barge system
As the salmon farming industry expands, there is a greater need for efficiency and automation, so we have developed a system where all the mortality removal pumps in the cages are connected to a main line back to the working barge.
The Back-to-Barge pumping system makes collecting and transporting fish from the cages to the barge a fully automated operation. Dead fish are pumped from the bottom of the cages through a fully enclosed pipe-grid to the service barge for dewatering, separation, and disposal treatment. This allows for easier and more convenient collection and handling, regardless of weather conditions.
Benefits include:
- One-man mortality removal controlled from the barge every day;
- Reduced health and safety risks for the operator;
- Automated operation with remote control from land;
- Increased biosecurity due to removal of mortalities and wastewater from vicinity of cages;
- Reduced use of boats on site; and
- Camera monitoring covering the bottom of the cages and deposit point on the barge.
Through a collaboration with our innovative partner company Create View, we offer add-on features of algorithm scanning, which include counting, weighing and diagnostics of the daily mortalities.
CleanUp system from Liftup
The build-up of fish faeces and uneaten feed below open net pens is a limiting factor on the capacity and siting of salmon farms in sheltered fjords and lochs. An integrated system for collecting and disposing of waste has now been introduced in Norway and will soon be offered in Scotland. The CleanUp system is based on a patented Combi-cone which is placed at the bottom of the cage and removes both mortalities and sludge, these are then pumped back to the barge and passed through a filter system.
The filtered wastewater is returned to the deep below the barge, while the waste is filtered out and concentrated before being pumped to a holding tank for storage. From here, the tank is emptied at regular intervals by boat and its contents are transported to land for processing into biogas. Valuable nutrients are extracted and used for organic agricultural fertiliser, this is carried out by our partner companies, RagnSells, AquaPro, and Amof Fjell Process Technology.
The benefit of the CleanUp system is that the amount of the benthic deposition on the seabed under the cages is greatly reduced, avoiding the build-up of waste and preventing the organisms on the seafloor being overwhelmed. This allows the farm to maintain a healthy living seabed which is good for the local environment.
Please note, this article will also appear in the sixth edition of our quarterly publication.
