The fish farming company Egil Kristoffersen and Sons (EKS) was one of the very first in Norway to bring Blueye underwater drones into daily operations. Eva Maria Kristoffersen, Managing Director at EKS, first heard about the new Blueye drone that was about to hit the market from a Blueye user she happened to meet back in 2018.
When I came home from Oslo, I said: we are not going to buy an ROV, we want something more manageable that everyone can use - we are buying an underwater drone. - Eva Maria Kristoffersen, Managing Director, Egil Kristoffersen and Sons
Since Eva Maria ordered one of the first underwater drones in 2018, they now have a drone available at every site.
Underwater drones are used for daily operations at the fish farm
The underwater drone's camera acts as a pair of eyes below the surface, and is therefore used several times a day, Operations Manager Leif Nikolai Pedersen tells us. At Egil Kristoffersen and Sons, the welfare of the fish always comes first, which is why they use the drone both for preventive work at the facility and for keeping an eye on the fish from the pen edge during various operations.
This is what the fish farmer Egil Kristoffersen & Sons uses the underwater drone for:
- Delousing operations. With underwater drones, they keep an eye on the fish to make sure they are doing well at all times and that operations go as planned.
- Monitoring the pumping of fish in and out of the facility.
- When damage is suspected on a boat, such as rope around the propeller.
- Checking the condition of nets and moorings, so they can spot wear or damage that needs repairing.
- Pulling ropes and cables through the facility.
The underwater drone is important to us. It makes our work easier and we discover problems much faster. It picks up everything we cannot see from the surface. - Malin Hempel, Apprentice at Egil Kristoffersen and Sons
What did they actually do before mobile cameras like underwater drones became available?
Many people wonder how fish farmers kept control of everything below the surface before drone technology became available to the industry. Leif Nikolai Pedersen explains that they either had to get creative with static cameras or hire large work-class ROVs that came with their own boat and pilot. It was obviously more challenging to have the same level of control then as now. Today, underwater drones have not only become a simple and effective solution for the industry, they also save a lot of money.
Work-class ROVs are big, and if something goes wrong with them they are expensive to repair, plus the investment cost is five times higher. - Eva Maria Kristoffersen, Managing Director at Egil Kristoffersen and Sons
Operations Manager Leif Nikolai goes on to say that the benefits of underwater drones are many. They have long since become part of daily operations and are something everyone at the sites handles - the drones have become an everyday tool. When they suspect a fault at the facility, they launch the drone and quickly uncover and fix any deviations. Previously, they hired external contractors to carry out these inspections. If the underwater drone's camera reveals a deviation, they contact service personnel directly who can help them get the job done.
Underwater drones help Egil Kristoffersen and Sons stay ahead of problems, investigate quickly when accidents happen and monitor their equipment frequently to avoid damage. By using drone technology, they can carry out simple daily checks and keep full control of what used to be out of reach for anyone but divers and ROV pilots.
Fewer escapes and fewer accidents - Blueye is part of the solution
Major damage such as holes in nets can lead to fish escapes. In October 2021 alone, 22,155 farmed salmon escaped from Norwegian fish farms (source: Escape statistics from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries). Escaped farmed salmon that find their way into our rivers and the spawning grounds of wild salmon can cause genetic changes over time that may pose a major threat to the wild population.
The vision is and must be zero escaped salmon. - Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, former Minister of Fisheries and Seafood, quoted on fauna.no
Blueye Robotics wants to be part of the solution that keeps escapes of farmed salmon to a minimum and helps steer the industry in a more sustainable direction. We are grateful that underwater drones have found their way into the industry, and we firmly believe that frequent inspections work as a preventive measure against fish escapes.
We talk to operations managers at fish farms in Norway every day. Over several years, we have built up knowledge and know well what customers in the aquaculture industry need. For the fish farming industry, the ROV's HD camera plays an important role. The camera shows what is going on below the surface and solves many challenges. The Blueye Pro became highly sought after in the fish farming industry, as this model has a camera that can be tilted up and down, making inspections easier and more detailed.
In June 2021 we launched a new model, the Blueye X3 ROV. An upgraded model that makes it possible to connect external equipment. One accessory that fish farmers in particular have asked for is a gripper. If you are unlucky and drop tools in the pen, you need to pick them up quickly to avoid potential damage to the net. This is now possible with the Blueye X3.
When we launched the Blueye X3, we got a lot of feedback that new and more use cases had opened up! It became a new way of working with our ROVs at the fish farms. - Alexander Bergrem, Business Development Executive at Blueye Robotics
