Jeff Lines, Phd, MIMechE.
Chartered Engineer
Member of the editorial board for Aquacultural Engineering Journal.
I led the aquaculture engineering research at Silsoe Research Institute, focusing on fish monitoring, control,
and humane slaughter. Leaving SRI in September 2005, I moved on to work as part of a new research and development
company Silsoe Livestock Systems Ltd, and also part time at a university.
Recent R&D projects include:
-
Automatic mass estimation using stereo video imaging.
Working with image analysis specialists, a system has been developed to automatically locate and estimate
the mass of salmon in sea cages. For further information see the attached publications:
paper 1,
paper 2 and article from
Global Watch online.
-
Passive detection of sea lice using multi-spectral imaging.
Detection of sea-lice is currently costly and stressful for the fish, yet lice counting is a necessary part of any control
strategy. (paper).
-
Humane slaughter of trout.
Working in close collaboration with the University of Bristol and the trout industry, a system has been developed
which ensures that farmed trout are killed humanely. This system is currently in use on Scottish and English trout
farms and is commercially available from (Ace-Aquatec).
For further information see attached publications:
paper 1,
paper 2,
paper 3.
Work over the next two years will include:
-
Humane slaughter of sea bass, turbot, cod, halibut, tilapia and eel.
Developments to improve fish welfare at slaughter for a wide range of farmed fish are being funded
with support from the EC, the Scottish Office and Defra. Most work is focused on the use of
electrical stunning to generate instantaneous and permanent insensibility. To ensure the commercial
acceptability of these approaches they must be achieved without damaging the fish, at high speed and
using equipment which is available at a reasonable cost.
-
Passive detection of sea lice.
A further investigation into passive, low stress methods for detecting of sea lice is to be funded by SEERAD.
This work will be done in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde and with Marine Harvest (Scotland) Ltd.
For further information, contact Jeff Lines using the form below: