FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

THE FAIVRE EQUIPPED TROUT FARMS OF ABBEVILLE

Amidst the
picturesque
countryside of
Abbeville, Northern
France, Darren Parris,
Tom Blacker and
Peter Parker from
the International
Aquafeed team, spent
an afternoon late
last year visiting
trout farms. Our
hosts were Phillip
Jorgensen, fish farms
manager, and Aubert
Faivre, who is sales
manager for Faivre.

anaging a proud total of nine sites located within an hours drive of

Abbeville, Mr Jorgensen has personally been fish farming since 2006.
However, his family originally began fish farming in Denmark in
1893, before moving to farm in France in the 1930s.
Mr Jorgensen told our party that his family has been using Faivre
products for a long time as they are better than the more expensive
alternatives.
Founded in 1958, Faivre is a globally competitive company boasting
almost 60 years
of aquacultural experience with a wide range to offer
from individual products to full installation.
Faivre focus on producing machinery that is strong,
effective and simple. Their range of products includes
fish graders, counters, elevators, and pumps, as well
as drum filters, leaf screeners, floating surface aerators
and diffuser pipes.

Water quality equipment, silage filters and

aerators

Throughout our day with Mr Joregensen and Mr

Faivre, we visited three farms where we saw a vast
array of Favire products in action.
On every single one of the sites, there was a Faivre
Drum Filter Rotoclean installed. The function of
this particular piece of equipment is to ensure strict
filtration of outgoing effluent flows.
The water that is to be filtered is directed into the
rotating drum. Inside the drum there are steel plates
covered in a stainless steal mesh. The filter functions to
collect solids larger than the perforations in the mesh
as it rotates, containing them in the drum.
Collected solids are removed via a discharge channel
located on the top of the drum.
Mr Jorgensen informed our party that the filter is
easy to maintain and that it does not take long to
remove, clean and replace the filter plates.
All of the sites we visited had numerous aerators
installed; these are devices that spray water into the air,
leading to an increased contact of the water with the
atmosphere. The result is increased oxygen levels of
the water.

Fish handling machinery: fish pumps, graders

and counters

When we arrived at one of the sites, the farmers were

busy counting fish from multiple sections of the farm,
a task that can take all day. However, they were aided
by a variety of specialised fish handling equipment.
This equipment included the Faivre Pescamotion Fish
Pump. This product is a simple pump that is used to
shift salmonids that weigh anywhere between 5 and
46 | May | June 2016 - International Aquafeed

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

550 grams from the pond to be graded and counted and then moved back into the adequate section of the farm.
It was then imparted to our party that the pumps are capable of moving 6-8 tons per hour and are lightweight and
mobile making them easy to maneuver around the premises.
After being propelled through the pipes via the pump, the trout arrive at the fish grader, or more specifically the
Faivre Helio Fish Grader. Using this grader the trout are sorted and graded accurately down to the millimetre using
Vernier scales, then according to their size are directed out through either the left or right side of the grader.
When I asked Mr Faivre what it is that is unique about his fish grader opposed to the others on the market, he told
me that It is the slow pushing system (SPS) that sets their graders apart from others in the industry, adding that this
feature also reduces the amount of stress put on the fish. This element of the process owes much to the sophisticated
water delivery system employed, as well as the fact that ramps are constantly sprayed.
After the fish are graded out of the Helio, they are then fed into the Faivre Pescavision Fish Counters that
automatically count them as they pass through the machine.
The fish counters operate using Infrared LED technology, and the only adjustment that is required is to select a
sleeve to fit inside the counter depending on the desired size of fish.

Farms overview

In between being introduced to the Faivre technology which helps to run the trout farms, we asked Mr Jorgensen
about the general day to day running of the farms including the trout raised, how he goes about monitoring the nine
sites, and what challenges he faces.
Every site we visited produced either Rainbow or Brown trout, and operated using fresh water from springs or rivers; an

According to Mr
Jorgensen, the
trout raised on
sites typically have
an FCR (food
conversion rate) of
around one and are
fed on a variety of
Skretting feeds - one
of the global leaders
in providing nutrition
solutions for the
aquaculture industry
for the production of
shrimp and fish.

International Aquafeed - May | June 2016 | 47

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

(L-R) Peter Parker, Phillip Jorgensen,

Aubert Faivre, Darren Parris

48 | May | June 2016 - International Aquafeed

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

abundant resource throughout the Picardie region. The trout raised

range from one gram to a maximum of 10kg, offering both diploid
and triploid type fish. They do not produce their own eggs at any
of their sites but rather purchase them from a supplier in France.
When asked about the price of trout in France, Mr Jorgensen
said the price of trout here is okay Mr Jorgensen also exports
to a number of countries.
According to Mr Jorgensen, the trout raised on sites typically
have an FCR (feed conversion rate) of around one and are fed
on a variety of Skretting feeds - one of the global leaders in
providing nutrition solutions for the aquaculture industry for the
production of shrimp and fish.
Having nine trout farms to operate, Mr Jorgensen has had
to think of innovative ways to keep a watchful eye on the
activity. Our party was also shown a software programme called
Nova-Fish that uses internet powered facilities that have been
installed at each of his nine sites, thus allowing him to monitor

and graph each batch of fish remotely.

Real time and historical information on variables such as
growth, FCR, oxygen levels, and more is readily available to
him from the office, a tool that Mr Jorgensen said he values
greatly and allows him excellent traceability.

Closing thoughts

After a pleasant day visiting the trout farms it was great to see
the care and effort being put into the raising of these trout under
Mr Jorgensens management.
Plainly evident is the strong relationship the Jorgensen family
has developed with Faivre over the years- and it was a pleasure
to finally be able to see the aforementioned equipment in use.
The same technology discussed throughout this article can
be observed at a variety of aquaculture exhibitions throughout
2016, perhaps most notably they will attend Aquaculture UK
(Stand 41).

49 | May | June 2016 - International Aquafeed