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.
