New system combines weight estimation, welfare monitoring, and automatic lice counting.
Aquaculture tech company Aquabyte is set to become the first company in the world to offer a comprehensive monitoring system for trout farming.
“We have received numerous requests from both current and prospective customers to adapt our system for trout production. With this initiative, Aquabyte will be the first company to offer a complete monitoring system for trout farming,” said Steve Tucker, COO of Aquabyte.
Aquabyte’s system employs advanced technology, including cameras submerged in fish pens that capture over a million images daily. These images are analyzed using artificial intelligence and machine learning, providing daily updates on lice counts, fish welfare, and weight and biomass estimates without manual handling.
“There are many similarities between trout and salmon, but the differences are significant enough that systems designed exclusively for salmon cannot be used for trout. We have developed new, unique machine learning models specifically tailored for trout. These new models enable the Aquabyte system to accurately calculate biomass, monitor welfare and deformities, and count lice on trout,” Tucker added.
Currently, few solutions are tailored to trout production, and trout farmers have had to use systems developed for salmon, often resulting in inaccurate data.
“With our digital monitoring system, farmers gain valuable insights to make informed decisions for improved fish health and profitability, whether they are farming trout, salmon, or both,” Tucker concluded.
Aquabyte has close to 100 employees spread across offices in Bergen, Boston, San Francisco and Puerto Montt, Chile. The company’s customer base includes eight of the ten largest companies in the aquaculture industry.
