In April 2010 Shellfish Hatchery Systems Ltd.  installed the first commercial full-scale 6-cylinder Aquahive® at the Norwegian lobster production facility.

The 6-cylinder Aquahive® was installed to increase production at the lobster hatchery. The installation of the  Aquahive® was to increase both survival and capacity of the facility. The 6-cylinder Aquahive® has the potential to hold in excess of 23000 juveniles at any one time. The system also has the advantage that once the late stage 3 or stage 4 lobsters have been placed into the Aquahive® trays, there should be no more handling of the larvae necessary. Shellfish Hatchery Systems has developed a unique deployment system that uses a membrane and secondary deployment tray to deliver the larvae directly to the sea bed. This allows the larvae to be released slowly and beneath the tray, protecting them from predation.

The Norwegian company started production at their lobster hatchery in 2008, and have plans to become the largest producers of European lobster juveniles in Europe. They are also planning to operate the first large-scale sea-ranching operation, taking advantage of Norway’s recent legislation allowing sea-ranching through enhanced re-stocking. There are also has plans to grow lobsters to market size.

In addition to the supply of Aquahives® , Shellfish Hatchery Systems are working with the lobster hatchery and Production Manager Sven Arild Korsvoll as consultants through the 2010 production season to ensure the success of the project.