Hi-tech device to manage fish escapes
Escaping fish not only hurt farm profits, they can also spread disease and alter the gene pool of wild fish stocks, presenting a significant barrier to the growth of the aquaculture industry. However, a solution is offered by the AQUAFARMCONTROL project, which is based on a capsule implanted in the fish and surveillance technology. Project partners are developing a capsule device that can be implanted in the farmed fish and assigned a unique ID. By utilising the same type of equipment used during the automated vaccination procedure, the new technology can be integrated into the production chain. The capsule's ID enables the farmer to track the individual fish during its life cycle and keep a detailed inventory of the age and distribution of the stock population. This information is vital for improving assessment of feed dosages. A communication system was successfully tested, which enables an operator to remotely control the capsule through an external control unit. The capsule can then be recovered during the culling of the fish. The control unit system can be linked to an alert system and utilises a wireless Internet protocol, enabling fish farms to respond quickly to any breaches of the fish pen. Implementation of AQUAFARMCONTROL will apply state-of-the-art microcapsule techniques and microelectronics to new areas of the aquaculture industry. This will significantly increase the sector's competitiveness by overcoming problems associated with pollution, ecological effects, disease and feed production.
Keywords
Fish escapes, farmed fish, aquaculture, surveillance technology, capsule device
