Land-based aquaculture technology

A word from the editor…

I’m proud to present WF’s latest Land-based aquaculture technology Special Report – a look at some of the latest innovations taking place in the field of on-land blue food production.
Since the start of 2024, I’ve been fortunate to have attended several key industry events. At these, I witnessed many discussions segue onto the topic of artificial intelligence. My understanding from this is we’ve reached the point whereby AI is never going to be too far from our value chain conversations – no matter if it’s seafood processing, distribution, catching or farming. It therefore came as no surprise when this Special Report became largely dominated by AI-related stories.
What’s become clear is that AI is already very much present in the blue food space, and it’s rapidly transforming the way things are being done. We’ve heard that investing in it offers scope to improve efficiency, sustainability and profitability, and as the report illustrates, in aquaculture – both on land and in the sea – it can be a gamechanger in terms of the real-time monitoring of biomass, fish growth and health.
Beyond this, it’s maintained AI has the potential to dramatically improve aquatic food farming practices and build social licence, not least through addressing survival problems, feed formulation issues, and by helping mitigate the effects of environmental and climate challenges. Furthermore, through robust data insights, as well as heightened levels of transparency, it’s insisted that greater consumer confidence can be established in the sector.
All that said, it’s also maintained that a change in mindset is needed from industry players to ensure and accelerate AI’s development in the sector, with particular emphasis on greater collaboration, cross-functional thinking and data sharing. Undoubtedly, there’s much, much more to come from AI – unprecedented new possibilities, potential, concepts and technologies. As expressed by many frontrunners these recent months, these are indeed exciting times.

- Jason Holland, Editor, World Fishing & Aquaculture
jholland@worldfishing.net