By Álvaro Valle García
Chief Aquaculture Engineering at Derwent Engineering
From Derwent Group, belonging to the Tejedor Lázaro Group as Dibaq Aquaculture which has been dedicated to aquaculture feed for more than 30 years, the team led by Eloy Meseguer, PhD in Marine Biology and Director of the Derwent Engineering area, together with Alvaro Valle, Agricultural Engineer, Chief Aquaculture Engineering at Derwent, is collaborating with the company Lucentia Lab to carry out the development of the Bioscanner project, which will culminate in the launch of a biomass counting system for aquaculture based on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and application of robotics through automated devices. Lucentia Lab is a technology-based company, born from the research group from the University of Alicante, high experienced in developing solutions based on AI, with experience in the field of machine learning and advanced analytics in collaboration with Siemens or Google and more than a dozen international projects, making it a natural partner to carry out, together with Derwent, the development of this solution for biomass counting in aquaculture systems.
The end phase of the Bioscanner project will be a disruptive milestone in the sector, as it will conclude with the market launch by Derwent of a device that will allow the counting of biomass in cages. By knowing the number of specimens, Derwent will facilitate the processes in marine cages, allow precision feeding by being able to adapt the speed of food supply, providing information on the stages of maturation and population and proposing improvements based on forecasts, moving into a predictive model. This will mean the possibility of anticipating unforeseen events, thus improving animal welfare, better conditions throughout the breeding cycle and a more efficient management of natural and economic resources, thus taking a step forward for Dibaq Aquaculture’s consumer customers. Now it’s time for Precision Aquaculture.
Counting specimens contained in cages represents an historical problem in the industry. Traditionally, calculation of biomass is carried out by estimations based on the measurement of the whole by technological systems from the fishing industry or by visual counting estimations. These methodologies operate with high percentages of deviation that lead to inaccuracies in key elements for the correct management of these farms. Overfeeding, derived from these deviations, causes the loss of food, which is deposited on the bottom, attracting other species, including predators that cause the death by stress of specimens in the cage, the proliferation of unwanted slime and other derived problems of overfeed. These points have direct impact on performance and productivity.
Problems from these techniques applied to the particular case of aquaculture cages is that they offer approximate precision. In this regard, the device designed by Derwent will achieve a measurement with an accuracy of over 90%. This data will provide a more accurate view of the existing biomass in the cage and, together with the high-quality Dibaq Aquaculture feed, will allow better management in terms of feeding, farm performance, population density, animal welfare, etc.
The project has successfully completed an initial proof-of-concept phase in which the potential of this solution has been seen for the specific case of biomass estimation in aquaculture cages. This initial phase of development, already concluded, has involved an investment of more than € 150,000 and has lasted for 12 months.