The two projects awarded have developed diagnostic tools for use in the fish farming industry, with focus on health condition and diseases in fish.
The company Quantidoc by Karin Pittman and Bjarne Ravnøy et al. were awarded for the method ‘Mucosal Mapping’, which is a new and unique tool capable of quantifying the skin mucosal status of fish and its relation to the diet, size, sex and strain of fish. The tool tests the mucosal layers, which is an important indicator of fish welfare and its tolerance capacity for treatment against parasites such as salmon lice. The analysis will also be helpful in the development of new kinds of feed or products.
Frank Nilsen and Per Gunnar Espedal were awarded for the invention “Genetic test for resistant salmon lice”. They have found the mechanism behind resistance in salmon lice, and developed a tool that makes it possible to identify the resistance before starting with expensive and time consuming treatment that might not work. This tool have been longed-for in the marine industry both nationally and internationally, and the product will be available at the market within a short period of time.
The award was presented by County Mayor Tom-Christer Nilsen during the County Council’s meeting on the 11th of December. The winners were awarded with 50.000 NOK each.
Read more about the award here: «Oppfinnarprisen for første gong til ei kvinne» (no longer available)