FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY
#1
THE UNDERWATER EYE:
Marrying industry-leading cameras to an innovative aquaculture software by Tore Laastad and Pål Herstad, Steinsvik, Norway
Steinsvik is a global company specialised in delivering products and solutions to the aquaculture industry and is the market leader in camera systems for monitoring fish behaviour. The feeding cameras have been the core of Steinsvik’s business since 1985.
This success has laid the foundation for the company’s expansion into feeding systems, barges, software and various other products used by fish farmers around the globe every day. The cameras will also be at the forefront of the evolution in fish farming together with software systems and high-speed Internet connections for the individual farms, allowing for the gathering and transfer of data to off site or “cloud” systems.
The underwater eye
The first camera was built in 1985, but the well-known underwater-eye design didn’t see the light of day until 1990. Salmon farming was still in its infancy, with smaller cages, fewer fish, and a more simplistic approach to feeding. Most farmers relied on manual observation of surface activity to gauge the fish’s appetite; few saw the emerging need for a sub-surface eye to observe them. The struggle to gain market share was twofold as the farmers’ needed convincing and the product needed improvement.
Developing momentum
In 1992, the well-known look emerged. The idea behind it was an eye below water. The camera was able to rotate 360 degrees vertically and horizontally, giving the farmer the ability to monitor feeding behaviour over a large area. Customer Feedback showed a substantial potential for optimising the amount of feed to be fed for every meal. More often than not, farmers were
44 | August 2018 - International Aquafeed