Center researchers and engineers are developing efficient and low stress harvesting methods that allows fish farmers to selectively remove fish from cages and transfer them to boats for processing and transport to shore.

Researchers have also experimented with a “live harvests” of cod in response to the market need. To give cod time to adjust to a new depth, Project researchers transferred them into a smaller cage, then slowly raised it closer to the surface. With available technology, the live harvest was a labor intensive and challenging process. Future success will require more appropriate infrastructure. Cages, for example, should have the utility for controlled ascent and descent, something the JPS cage being tested by project engineers is designed to do.