Aquaculture is booming due to rising demand for seafood and limited wild fish stocks. But to meet expected growth and plan for the future, the industry must modernize by adopting digital technologies.
A digital transformation will offer significant benefits to the aquaculture industry across a broad spread of disciplines. Increased efficiencies and yields will result from automation, IoT, and AI, as they optimize processes and reduce costs. Sustainability can also be improved through the use of digital tools to monitor and manage environmental factors, minimize pollution, and promote responsible practices.
Additionally, operators will gain greater agility and adaptability from digitalization, as it will allow them to respond much quicker to shifting market and customer demands. And this is driven, in part, by their ability to make more informed real-time decisions regarding production, resource allocation, and market trends, thanks to advanced data handling and analytics.
The Rise of Digital Aquaculture
A recent market research project, undertaken on behalf of Rockwell Automation, highlights a growing trend of automation adoption in aquaculture, as companies recognize that they need to not only stay competitive, but also address labor shortages. Indeed, the market for aquaculture automation systems, including those for recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and IoT/AI monitoring, is expected to reach significant levels.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also driven innovation in the industry, while disruptions in production and supply chains have accelerated the adoption of technologies such as IoT and AI.
Benefits for End Users
Digitalizing production and processing offers numerous advantages:
- Actionable Insights: Data collection and analysis provide real-time insights for better performance and faster responses to market changes.
- Improved Design and Operations: Digital tools streamline design, simulation, testing, and ongoing operations, resulting in faster, more efficient processes.
Your Partner in Digital Transformation
Rockwell Automation offers a comprehensive array of solutions for every stage of the digitalization journey, from hardware and control systems to software and cybersecurity expertise. These offerings include scalable distributed control systems (DCS), which help aquaculture producers make better, faster, and more-informed process-control decisions. Our motor control centers (MCC) take the complexity out of multi-motor/pump applications, as well as delivering enhanced safety, security, and intelligence. Our pre-configured MCCs can save as much as 90% of development, commissioning, and installation time too.
To conquer data volume and complexity and ‘de-risk’ your installed base – by tracking, versioning, updating, viewing, and remotely interrogating hardware and software – our FactoryTalk® software suite comprises various software packages that deliver cutting-edge design, secure remote interrogation, asset management, HMI deployment and design, data handling, and analytics.
From a cybersecurity perspective, our OT cybersecurity consultants can support end users and their suppliers to help ensure compliance with the upcoming NIS2 directive. And in terms of safety, our solutions generate data that can be used proactively to boost uptime and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
Digitalization also opens the door to virtualization, which will allow operators to deep dive into installations without the need to physically be on site, thanks to advances in immersive virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR).
VR and AR are also highly useful for on-site and remote maintenance of the hundreds of operational assets typical in a modern aquaculture plant. What is more, this maintenance can be more proactive thanks to historic and real-time operational data being used by computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), such as our Fiix® platform. A cloud-based, AI-powered solution, Fiix helps operators manage maintenance to maintain the reliability and efficiency of their equipment.
Sustainable Blue: A Case Study
Sustainable Blue, a Nova Scotia-based company, adopted digitalization to scale fish production while maintaining quality and sustainability. The implemented solution highlights the scalability of digital transformation, allowing for phased rollouts with initial wins leading to broader adoption.
The success story demonstrates multiple positive outcomes, including a cleaner and more environmentally friendly production process, thanks to scalable end-to-end process control. Lower operational risk due to safeguards that help minimize the risk of costly failures and the delivery of business differentiation, enhanced goodwill, and stronger market appeal, due to its commitment to ethical and sustainable production practices.
The Future is Digital
Digitalization is the future of all industries, and aquaculture is no exception. By embracing new technologies, the aquaculture sector can achieve sustainable growth, meet rising demand, and deliver high-quality seafood to consumers. As seen in various use cases, starting small builds trust and facilitates future scaling – a process made easier and more effective by using integrated hardware and software platforms designed for digital transformation.
For more information on the challenges, trends, technology and tools that are shaping aquaculture, download our new eBook and find out how you can start building a stronger, future-ready operational foundation. You can find it HERE.