Ace Aquatec’s groundbreaking underwater camera A-BIOMASS has beat competition in low light conditions and is set to transform the way salmon is farmed in Tasmania.
Petuna, one of Australia’s major salmon and ocean trout farmers, operates in the Tamar River estuary at Rowella and in Macquarie Harbour. Both sites present challenges for any technology, from highly conditioned fish adapted to local environments to tannin rich waters with low light levels.
Despite these challenges, A-BIOMASS demonstrated the ability to adapt and give 99.17% accuracy. In trials, the system measured over 8,000 fish in a single day, compared to just 300 fish via traditional manual sampling; a process that normally requires multiple staff and extensive handling.
To support this deployment, Ace Aquatec has also established a locally-based technical support presence with CAS Australasia. This allows for rapid assistance for any hardware, repair, or maintenance needs and is a crucial factor given the geographical distance between supplier and customer.
Petuna Fish Performance Manager Stuart Atherton said the producer has been really impressed by how well A-BIOMASS adapts to its unique farming conditions.
“To have a system that can report the weight of the fish using a non-invasive method will allow us to keep a much better eye on the health and welfare of the animals, not to mention improvements in the working environment for our employees,” he said.
“The system will also allow us to monitor stock during the period from late spring through to early Autumn where water temperatures prevent manual sampling. The number of fish the system can sample in a day is substantially higher than we can sample manually, meaning stronger confidence in the accuracy of results. We see great potential for the Ace Aquatec system.”
Ace Aquatec CEO Nathan Pyne-Carter highlighted that the camera was developed in some of the harshest conditions off Scotland’s west coast. Petuna’s trial demonstrates its flexibility and robustness in some of the most challenging global aquaculture environments – particularly with low light, he said.
“Combining AI with non-invasive monitoring allows farmers to make better-informed decisions that offer significant benefits for fish welfare and farm efficiency. Petuna is seeing the significant commercial benefits of using our high accuracy system, from improved operational efficiency to greater transparency around feed conversion ratios. Accurate weight forecasting provides a solid foundation for farm production, processing and sales to improve profitability.”
