Next-Generation Automated Salmon Feeding to Increase Productivity and Improve Sustainability and Fish Welfare

Scotland is the third largest global producer of farmed Atlantic salmon (Scottish Government, 2017) and Scottish salmon is the UK's leading food export (Food & Drink Federation, 2019). To meet growing demand, the Scottish aquaculture industry has set ambitious targets to double the economic contribution of the sector from £1.8 billion (2016) to £3.6 billion by 2030 and to double the number of jobs to 18,000 by 2030 (Scotland Food & Drink, 2016), requiring year-on-year production growth of 5%. However, a Scottish Parliamentary committee recently concluded that expansion relying on current best practice "will be unsustainable and may cause irrecoverable damage to the environment" (Scottish Parliament, 2018), providing a strong demand-pull for innovative solutions.

Furthermore, Scottish salmon farming is close to reaching, if not at, capacity as the majority of suitable locations are already exploited. Growing environmental concerns means the acquisition of licenses is dictated by the potential environmental impacts. As a result, the output of fish farming is limited by the availability of licenses. Therefore, the only realistic approach to improving and increasing production, while decreasing environmental impacts, is to improve the productivity of the salmon farming process.

Aquaculture feed management has a critical role to play in supporting the development of a sustainable aquaculture industry (FAO, 2013). Currently accepted best practice is for farmers to monitor underwater camera and sensor feeds and rely on experience, intuition, and feeding charts to feed the fish. Over-feeding results in feed wastage, increasing production costs; while under-feeding slows fish growth and increases production costs through delaying time to harvest. Inaccurate feeding also causes harmful nutrient discharges to the environment, linked to localised eutrophication and harmful algal blooms (Davidson et al., 2014).

Innovate UK funding brings together a world-class consortium, led by Observe Technologies. Working with AKVA Scotland, part of AKVA Group, the world's largest supplier of finfish aquaculture hardware, and fish behaviour experts at the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture, we will develop the next-generation of automated salmon feeding, increasing productivity and improving sustainability and fish welfare. Through Observe's distribution relationship with AKVA Group, this project is set for rapid commercialisation and global technology exports, positioning Observe and the UK as a leader in sustainable aquaculture.

This project is aligned with multiple Industrial Strategy Challenges, placing the UK at the forefront of the artificial intelligence and data revolution, supporting clean growth, and transforming food production systems, improving productivity and sustainability.