Alexamdra Pounds
As part of the dissemination activities of the EU GAIN project (Green Aquaculture Intensification in Europe) Alexandra Pounds has worked with other partners to produce a series of five articles for Global Aquaculture Advocate on one of the key themes of GAIN - Precision Aquaculture. Each article is accompanied by a short video.
The first article was published on 26 July 2021 and is titled “Data and evidence based management.” This article defines precision aquaculture and the benefits that the approach can bring, and provides example of how it is being used in salmon farming.
Video 1: Introduction to Precision Aquaculture
The second article, published on 2nd August 2021 focused on precision aquaculture in the Mediterranean sea bass and bream industry. In particular, the experience of farm managers at “El Gorguel,” a sea bass farm in southern Spain which has installed sensors for precision aquaculture. While daily monitoring of the sensors required some initial additional effort by staff, implementing precision aquaculture techniques allowed the farm to 1) receive faster warnings of adverse environmental conditions; 2) improve oxygen and feeding efficiency; and 3) enhance preventative measures against disease.
Video 2: Precision Sea Bass
The third article, published on 9th August 2021 considers the role of precision aquaculture in trout farming and provides the example of how researchers at Ca’Foscari University have partnered with Troticoltura Leonardi, a family-run rainbow trout farm in northern Italy to implement precision aquaculture. The aim being to improve the decision support of farm managers by taking advantage of low-cost sensors, mathematical models of biological processes and data processing methods to optimize the use of oxygen in tanks.
Video 3: Precision Trout
The fourth article, published on 16th August 2021, focuses on precision aquaculture in the salmon industry and describes work carried out at three marine salmon farms in Norway, Scotland and Canada. Hydroacoustic methods were used to provide high resolution data on the distribution of fish within the cages, whilst a network of environmental sensors characterised local site conditions. An “AutoAI” machine learning system was employed to model fish behaviour and better understand welfare.
Video 4: Precision salmon
The fifth article was published on 23 August 2021 on “Precision Bivalve Culture.” Partners in the GAIN project have developed novel precision aquaculture tools to help forecast water quality events affecting bivalve culture, including site closures. These tools use machine learning to model environmental conditions for better prediction and management decisions. Their precision aquaculture techniques for bivalves includes integrating data sources into a cloud-based platform that allows for real-time monitoring.
The full articles can be found at: