Nofima-led research project aims to improve light management in salmon farming.
Nofima has launched a multi-year research project to investigate how farmed salmon and rainbow trout perceive light, with the goal of refining lighting strategies used across the aquaculture industry. The initiative is intended to improve fish welfare and production outcomes by aligning industry practices with the biological needs of the fish.
Light is commonly used in aquaculture to influence growth, regulate smoltification, and delay early maturation. However, current approaches are largely based on human-centric measurements and may not reflect the visual experience of fish. The new project, “IllumiAkva,” seeks to bridge this gap.
“Fish farmers have requested a knowledge-based overview,” said Anja Striberny, project leader at Nofima. “There are more than a thousand scientific articles on light’s effects on salmon and trout, but practices still vary. We’re now gathering information through an industry survey to connect research with field experience.”
A central aim of the project is to map and characterize the light-sensitive proteins—known as opsins—present in salmon. Unlike humans, who possess only a handful of opsins, salmon have over fifty. Research teams from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, along with SINTEF Ocean, NORCE and others, will assess how different light conditions affect fish physiology and welfare.
“Understanding light through the salmon’s eye is essential for developing more precise management tools,” said Alexander West, a researcher at UiT.
The IllumiAkva project runs until June 2028 and includes scientific partners Nofima, UiT, SINTEF Ocean, NORCE, the University of Manchester, and FBN in Germany. Industry partners include Salmar Settefisk, Grieg Seafood, and NCE Aquaculture. The work is funded by the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF).