SOLUTION / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Thermolicer effectively treats sea lice with thermal technology
- Published 22 November 2022; updated 21 September 2026; estimated reading time 2 minutes. Marked available; listed under Aquaculture and fisheries.
- The Thermolicer is a chemical-free sea-lice treatment system for farmed fish. Fish are pumped into a treatment loop and exposed briefly (25–30 seconds) to lukewarm seawater; the article says lice are sensitive to rapid temperature changes, die and are removed, then collected and destroyed. Its process also separates and filters seawater, treats the fish, and circulates heated treatment water through filtration, aeration and reheating.
- The system can be installed on a boat or barge and is described as suitable for commercial scale. Stated capacity is up to 90 metric tonnes per hour, depending on ambient sea temperature and local conditions. Treated fish can be returned to their original pen or moved to an empty pen.
- The page presents thermal delousing as an alternative to chemicals and medicines, which it associates with drug resistance and pollution around fish pens. It calls Thermolicer more effective than traditional chemical/medicinal treatment, but offers no comparative trial data. Historical context from a 2018 Norwegian Veterinary Institute report says non-medicinal treatment rose 21% and 68% of such treatments were thermal.
- ScaleAQ is identified as the technology supplier. Target users include salmon farmers and service providers in salmon-producing regions worldwide.
- Linked to SDGs 12 (Responsible consumption and production) and 14 (Life below water).
- Contact: Tore Laastad, Sales Manager, tore.laastad@steinsvik.no. Company listed: KVE-EN AS, Nordskag, 7266 Kverva, Norway; ScaleAQ website. A phone-number reveal control is present.