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Week 1:
On Monday morning, I arrived at Dorset Cleaner Fish in Portland Port and was immediately welcomed by every member of staff. Initially, I was given a tour of the facilities and a brief history of DCF; it is a relatively new business but is the largest aquaculture facility in Dorset – aquaculture currently being one of the few professional sectors with increasing funding and interest. DCF grows lumpsuckers, also known as cyclopterus lumpus, which are used as “cleaner fish” to reduce the parasite burden on salmon farms in Scotland. At DCF, they are grown from eggs in the hatchery, and then are eventually moved on to the pre-nursery and then the nursery, after which they are transported to facilities in Scotland.
After being shown around, I was put to work in the hatchery to complete an “average weighing” for each tank, in which the mean weight of a fish was calculated from the weight of fifty fish from each tank. As well as educating me in how to handle the fish, I was also able to practice my maths and scientific practical skills in order to ensure that accurate results were obtained. Later on in the day, we had to euthanize several fish from each tank in order to examine them for any illness or deformities, this teaching me how to carry out experiments in a humane manner.
Throughout the week, I also learnt about the mechanical side of aquaculture, which was very interesting for me as it combines chemistry and physics with the biology one would expect at a marine centre. I was shown how to measure the temperature and oxygen saturation of the water, as well as changing the bags within pumps and filters within tanks. I was amazed at the vast amount of maintenance that the system needed, with tanks being cleaned multiple times a day in order to ensure the fish are as healthy as possible. Despite sounding boring, it is the optimum time to observe fish behaviour and anatomy in order to check that everything is okay. This clearly demonstrated to me the difference between aquaculture and marine tourism as at DCF every fish is valued and the staff work their hardest to ensure that “no lumpsucker is left behind”.
I have also helped to “grade” the fish in the nursery several times towards the end of the week. “Grading” is done to separate the bigger fish from the smaller fish, as only fish of a certain size have the capacity to be vaccinated. During this process, tanks are emptied by hand, meaning that we have to work fast and solve problems under pressure so that the lumpfish are not too stressed. This was both mentally and physically challenging for me however I feel I have become much stronger in this area with the help of the staff.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first week with Dorset Cleaner Fish, learning new scientific skills and spending time with the team. I’m looking forward to next week!
Week 2:
This week I was situated in the hatchery and pre-nursery the whole, meaning that I could properly develop my skills in these locations. I was shown how to remove the dirt from the bottom of the tanks with a siphon, as well as accurately count and remove the dead fish. This is extremely important and must be completed daily in order to get a reliable estimate for the number of fish in each tank, as well as ensuring that the conditions are suitable for survival. This task has now become one of my main jobs to be completed each morning, along with the temps, DOs and changing the filter bags.
In each tank of the hatchery, there is a row of hanging tubing that the fish can attach themselves to, more commonly known as “the furniture”. This provides a larger surface area for the fish to rest on, however these also must be cleaned a few times a week to prevent slime building up. The filters within the tank must also be cleaned daily, however this must be done very gently to prevent the water being churned up and visibility being reduced.
Once the daily jobs had completed, we were able to start on next week’s jobs. In preparation for future batches of lumpfish eggs, the artemia lab needed to be disinfected and cleaned. Artemia shrimp lay eggs which feed the larvae and help them to grow. Moreover, I was shown how to complete the am and pm checklists that are done daily to ensure that everything is functioning properly.
I have become much more independent this week and I still continue to enjoy it. Next week I hope to complete my volunteer checklist for the hatchery so that I can become fully competent with the baby lumpsuckers.
Week 3:
Throughout the week, I was put in charge of the pre-nursery, completing the am and pm checks, changing the filter bags, cleaning the tanks, restocking the feeds and generally monitoring the welfare of the fish. I found this quite daunting, but also a very good experience as it helped me to take on responsibility with more confidence.
Once I had completed all of this each day, I would return to the hatchery to help with the rest of the routinely jobs. It was particularly difficult this week as we had to battle with the weather to keep the temperature constant and low, meaning that jobs had to be completed quickly and efficiently to prevent too much water being lost. My teamwork skills have greatly increased this week as we all had to work together to complete tasks in record time.
Furthermore, I also learnt how to carry out many other jobs this week, including cleaning the “skimmer” – one of the main parts of the filtration systems – and completing ammonia tests on water from each of the tanks. Ammonia levels must be monitored very closely as too much of it can be extremely toxic for fish.
I have also found that I am able to finish my daily jobs more efficiently now that I have practiced them multiple times. Despite it being my last week next week, I am really looking forward to it as we are going to be very busy grading fish in the hatchery and pre-nursery.
Week 4:
This week was extremely busy as we had to grade and transport fish from the pre-nursery to the nursery. I had a very active role in this, netting fish and monitoring fish behaviour with the dropping water levels. Furthermore, we completed average weights for the fish to estimate the numbers of lumpsuckers being transported. This had to be completed quickly and efficiently to prevent fish stress.
By the end of the week, I had completed the majority of my training for the hatchery and pre-nursery, which was far more than my mentors had expected of me. New jobs this week included a stock take of the feed, as well as cleaning pump baskets.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at DCL. Everyone I worked with was so friendly and fun to be around, and I believe that I have gained many new transferrable skills that will definitely help me in any scientific profession. Even though my future career may not be in aquaculture, I have still benefitted greatly from this experience.
I would like to thank everyone at both Dorset CleanerFish and the Sir Samuel Mico Trust for providing me with such an amazing opportunity.
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