#03 Establishment of an aquaculture model via the use of an AI feeding machine

This is project is to create a sustainable aquaculture manangement system using, Umitron Cell, an AI feeding machine.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Ehime Prefecture stands out as a leading producer of Japan’s aquaculture. However, production volume has been in declinine since 2000. The declining number of farms and available workers, as well as the increasing average age of workers is also a serious issue. Current coventional methods rely heavily on manual labor, which can also lead to excessive feed waste.

In order to establish a sustainable aquaculture model, we have opted for the AI feeding machine, Umitron Cell, to resolve conventional feeding methods and reduce feed waste.

What is UMITRON CELL?

The unique features of Umitron Cell are its AI integration and remote operability. The AI system accurately assesses the fish’s appetite and adjusts accordingly. Additionally, feeding instructions can be issued through a dedicated smartphone app, enabling remote and automated feeding. This leads to both economic benefits via reducing feed costs, as well as on-site workloads, thereby improving labor conditions.

The feeding information is automatically recorded in the dedicated app, allowing for retrospective review and analysis. With the accumulation of data, it becomes possible to gain clearer and valuable insights into growth characteristics of a specific site and species.

UMITRON

PROJECT PROGRESS

We conducted a three-month field trial to assess the effectiveness of Umitron Cell during the summer of 2022. Adult red sea bream were seperated into two sample groups: the first group was hand fed using conventional methods and the other was fed using Umitron Cell.
At the end of September 2022, we observed that both the average fish weight and growth coefficient in the Umitron Cell fed group was much better than those of the hand fed group. Please see Dainichi News for Umitron Cell updates.

Data as of 2022/09/26

FEEDING	DAYS	FISH (PCS)	AVRG WEIGHT (KG)	AVRG LENGTH (CM)	CONDITION FACTOR	FCR	FEEDING RATE / DAY
Manual	67	8,023	1.77	40.3	27.04％	2.01	0.75%
UMITRON	67	7,746	1.90	41.3	26.97%	1.86	0.83%

FUTURE PROSPECTS

Establishment of sustainable aquaculture method in conjuntion with reduced fishmeal feeds.
Promote the use of UMITRON CELL with local producers.
Further utilization of UMITRON CELL feeding and growth data.

In the future, we aim to promote this equipment in combination of our feeds and Umitron Cell as a sustainable aquaculture solution to local producers. We will also explore utilizing the data accumulated using this system.