Vestland Pharma AS

Salmon lice and associated fish health issues represent one of the most significant challenges facing the global salmon farming industry. These parasites pose both an economic burden for fish farmers and a serious threat to wild salmon populations encountering farmed salmon during their migration to spawning rivers.

The economic impact of salmon lice is estimated at 400-600 million euros annually. A single treatment costs approximately 50-80 thousand euros, with total treatment expenses reaching 150-300 million euros per year. These costs are compounded by the use of smaller fish employed to remove lice from salmon in aquaculture cages.

Medicinal treatments are generally more effective and less harmful to salmon compared to mechanical methods. However, concerns about chemical side effects and immunization complications have reduced their popularity. Consequently, mechanical treatments—despite their high fish mortality and potential damage—have dominated recent lice management strategies.

Vestland Pharma has patented a treatment using a naturally occurring oceanic compound, which ensures no environmental damage. By increasing the compound's concentration in water, the treatment effectively detaches lice from salmon. These parasites are then filtered out in ship tanks without harming the fish.

The Fund’s investment in Vestland Pharma is supported by InnovFin Equity, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments.