PREFERRED MATERIALS IN ARTIFICIAL HIDES FOR LUMPFISH

Lumpfish prefer thicker kelp materials.

The experiment was carried out in two farming sites with autumn smolt (October release 2018, average weight: 125 grams, 150,000 salmon in each pen) at the Bjørøya site Kraakholmen.

Key findings:

• Crane Kelps that did not follow the wave dynamics housed most resting lumpfish.
• Preferred thicker kelp shelters.
• Lumpfish was distributed evenly down through the kelp shed.

Weather (from almost windless to full force gale) had little