How ROVs are transforming aquaculture

by Nido Robotics, Spain

Nido Robotics’ Sibiu Pro and Sibiu Nano underwater drones are a godsend for fish farmers looking to boost their business’ productivity and safety while reducing CAPEX and OPEX.

Realistically, there is no reason why aquaculture should be any different from any other line of business in the 21st century, where an incessant drive to increase productivity is intertwined with the need to impose and observe safe, environmentally-responsible working conditions – and where all of this has to be offset against a similarly pressing requirement to slash operating and production costs.
 

In this somewhat paradoxical context, the deployment of ROVs in aquaculture makes consistently incontestable sense, negating at a stroke the expense and potential hazards of using divers to carry out an entire range of essential processes and procedures. To begin with, before a fish farm is even established an ROV can be pre-emptively sent down so that prospective startups can survey and analyse the seabed or lake floor, ensuring that they are selecting the optimal location in which to site their operation.

Once such farms are up and running, ROVs are a priceless resource for allowing managers and employees alike to rapidly and easily conduct daily spot checks on their assets. The importance of maintaining the overall integrity of the sub-surface infrastructure goes without saying; and with the detailed view afforded by high-quality ROV-mounted cameras, operators can assess at a glance the condition of the netting and installations.

Monitoring fish stocks via ROV is also the quickest way to confirm that the fish are schooling normally and thriving – or, conversely, displaying any tell-tale signs of aberrant behaviour or ill-health. A key aspect of maintaining biosecurity is the efficient execution of mort picking tasks – collecting, classifying and disposing of morts – and in this respect also, an ROV’s monitoring capabilities are of fundamental assistance.

Additionally, an overriding consideration when using ROVs in the day-to-day implementation of fish farm running tasks is the simple fact that they can level the playing field, enabling employees who may lack the specific skill sets of specialist divers to benefit nevertheless from an accurate, up-to-the-minute overview of the underwater infrastructure and fish stocks. Forewarned is forearmed; and the more staff who are fully apprised of circumstances beneath the surface, the more smoothly operations will run.

Read more, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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