Aquaculture farmers know that to grow healthy fish, a clean environment is vital. Open net pens are efficient in that they use tidal energy to circulate life-giving sea water. But netting accumulates marine organics. These natural growths harbour bacteria, which restricts the flow of water and oxygen. This compromises fish health. Left to grow, this fouling degrades attachment points and supportive anchoring systems.
Until now, cleaning those nets was often intrusive. It was time and labour intensive, and costly. It is imperative that net-washing operations don’t rush to complete the job. Without prudent attention to detail, results suffer. Of concern, too, are systems with aft-facing propellers and/or jets. These units expel thrust and wash water backwards, which alike poses risks to farmed fish.