Future solutions for the ocean industries 

Protan has developed the lice skirt of the future. Made from PVC that does not emit microplastic into the environment, it is so environmentally safe that it is approved for drinking water storage.  

A Protan lice skirt is a durable and sustainable product. 

At the end of its lifetime, the lice skirt can be returned to Protan for the production of new products, such as roof membranes. By doing this, the PVC can have a lifetime of up to as much as 60 years.  

How the lice skirt works 

Getting rid of salmon lice in an environmentally friendly way is a challenge for the fish farming industry.  

It is time-consuming and expensive to de-lice and clean cages which house salmon that are already infected with lice. Slow de-licing leads to more stress and reduced life quality for salmon. 

A lice skirt around the cages solves some of these challenges.  

Salmon lice thrive best in the upper part of the water layers, so a protective skirt attached around the cage, ten metres below the surface, is a highly effective physical barrier to the salmon lice. 

The patented solution for this new type of lice skirt involves inserting pockets, or flow elements, at the bottom of the skirt. These are filled with seawater and function as a drive anchor. They also have a self-reinforcing effect. This means that the stronger the wind and higher the waves, the more stable the skirt is against the cage. 

With the pockets on the lice skirt, fish farmers don’t need to worry about the infiltration of salmon lice in high seas or strong currents. The skirt stays in place regardless of the weather conditions.