Aqualife set to launch new semi automated fish vaccination unit
A new semi automatic fish vaccination unit is set to be brought to market by fish vaccination experts Aqualife in June this year. The SAIB unit requires less than half the operators of a traditional manual vaccination team and requires little training as fish are simply fed into it. A single channel of the SAIB unit vaccinates 2,500 – 3,600 fish per hour while a typical 6 channel set-up vaccinates 15k- 21.6k fish per hour.
The SAIB unit was developed by Aqualife in response to the changes in vaccination strategies in salmon farming over the last few years. Delivering the intramuscular vaccine (IM) at the same time as the intraperitoneal (IP) vaccination is an increasingly popular practice but is difficult to carry out with manual vaccination. However, the SAIB unit is designed to easily switch between vaccination strategies and species at the touch of a button.
Furthermore, as up to three IP vaccines are increasingly being delivered to each fish, the SAIB unit has been developed to deliver three IP vaccines in one shot and an IM vaccination. Aqualife also wanted to develop a vaccination system that could deliver vaccines for new species like tilapia and pangasius and the SAIB unit is suitable to treat all types of fish from 30g to 200g. It also automatically grades fish by size. The SAIB unit requires up to three operators and is designed to be light, portable, quick to set up and take down and extremely quiet when compared to other systems on the market.
Aqualife believe the benefits the SAIB unit can have on fish farming operations are significant. They point to the cost savings that can be made as result of fewer staff being needed to operate the SAIB unit. Time can also be saved as fish farmers are not constrained by having to wait for vaccination teams. In addition, the requirement for less manpower frees up fish farming staff to work in other areas.
The SAIB unit is quickly adaptable for any species of farmed fish and can be tailored to the fish and volume of your fishery. It utilises a user-friendly interface to input fish species and volumes which requires no specialist training. All vaccine producers can mechanically administer with the SAIB unit and data gathered helps improve future vaccination strategies.
The Covid-19 pandemic is an ongoing concern for all of us and the SAIB unit is easy to operate in compliance with social distancing. Aqualife will also be able to cut travel by as much as 50% as it will not require so many staff movements which will have a positive environmental impact.
Aqualife was founded in Scotland in 1996 and is a global leader in fish care and vaccination services. From its Stirling HQ it has expanded to Norway, where it has a registered company and has also set up a business in Portugal to gain access to sea bass, bream and trout producers in the Mediterranean, Spain and Portugal regions. In addition, they have secured contracts in other countries such as Iceland and Australia and have strengthened their base in Scotland by merging with their former rivals Salmovac in 2015.
Post written by:
Gordon Jeffrey
For more information, visit: https://www.aqualifeservices.com/