Tidal, an aquaculture AI and robotics technology from Google X, has announced during the Aqua Nor Conference, Tidal Lice Control, an AI-powered system that operates continuously to detect and neutralize lice without stressful handling of fish. Lice Control enables salmon farmers to lower treatment costs, aid fish welfare, and increase yields, all while running autonomously inside the pen.
Sea lice infestations are one of salmon farming’s most costly and persistent challenges, causing industry losses of more than USD 1 billion annually. Regulations require farmers to keep lice levels below strict limits, often leading to treatment methods that compromise welfare and stress the fish.
Anders Fossøy, General Manager of Tidal Norway, mentioned: “As an industry, we’ve been living with the high costs and lost productivity that parasitic threats bring.” Fossøy also added: “We built Lice Control with the same mindset we had at Google X – applying AI and robotics to real-world, high-impact problems. Farmers can now protect fish without chemicals, stress, or downtime, which means healthier fish and lower costs.”
Tidal Lice Control uses AI-powered computer vision and the autonomous winch system to continuously monitor each pen 24 hours a day. When the system detects lice on a fish, it delivers targeted energy that deconstructs lice without compromising welfare. Operating quietly in the background, the winch moves horizontally and vertically following the fish to ensure full coverage of the pen. The solution is fully integrated into Tidal’s existing platform for autonomous feeding, biomass estimation, welfare monitoring and automatic lice counting.
Kristine Langaunet, Senior Sales Executive at Tidal, said: “Leveraging the early investments in core technology from our autonomous feeding solution, spatial positioning, and precise computer vision, Tidal’s Lice Control is a natural evolution. By building Lice Control into the same system farmers already use for feeding and monitoring, we reduce the amount of equipment needed in the pen.”
Tidal Lice Control is in lab and field trials, with commercial launch expected in 2026, combining local Norwegian expertise with the company’s global technology resources.
Tidal Lice Control features:
- Operates 24/7 in the pen: Prevents lice build-up before treatment thresholds are reached.
- Fully automated operation: No additional manpower required to monitor or operate the systems.
- Treats fish gently while shielding sensitive areas: Minimizes stress and welfare impact.
- Targets multiple lice across multiple salmon simultaneously: Maximizes efficacy and coverage.
- Integrated into Tidal all-in-one systems: Reduces pen equipment
- Farmers receive mitigation impact reports: Monitor system performance and benefit
