iFarm - Individualized aquaculture

iFarm can solve many of the challenges that currently restrict growth in salmon farming. Today's group based registration and execution of measures will be replaced by individual registration and treatment. Cermaq applies for 10 development licenses to take iFarm concept from the research phase up to an industrial product.

The sensors of iFarm have computer vision, which recognizes each individual based on the dot pattern of the salmon. In a sensor chamber, number of fish, fish size, number of sea lice, and possible signs of the disease are registered. The method enables individual-based fish farming. Hence, iFarmrepresents a technological leap in the development of cage farming.

There will be huge gains if growth can be channeled to the sites of the current type. This growth strategy will preserve and strengthen Norway's advantage as salmon producer within the current iste structure. iFarm will be a significant contribution to the solution of the area challenges that aquaculture is facing, says CEO Geir Molvik in Cermaq.

As the fish passes the sensor chamber we can take out individual fish e.g. for lice treatment. We know that lice are very unevenly distributed. Thus, we can reduce lice treatment when we treat only the fish that has lice. Similarly, we sort on the basis of weight and remove the fish ready for harvest without stressing the remaining fish, informs Geir Molvik.

As we can monitor each individual, we can detect whether a fish stops growing, differs from previous growth rate, or gets an unexplained decline in condition factor. These may be symptoms that something is wrong with this fish. Because iFarm has the entire growth and conditional history of each individual, we can detect such changes even if the observation is within the normal of the population. Diagnostic work and measures can thus be initiated earlier.

This is a technological leap for the cage based salmon farming, where we shift from group-based operations to individual registration and treatment. If we succeed with this, the growth vision can be realized within the \"inshore\"-sites, concludes Geir Molvik.

The iFarm sensor is a technical concept developed by BioSort AS. BioSort’s key personnel have all background from Tomra's recognition and sorting technology. Further development of these technologies for application in sea opens new opportunities for aquaculture.