Scottish Sea Farms expands automated feeding trials
Success at Orkney site has given company the confidence to test technology at other locations
Scottish Sea Farms is expanding its use of Tidal’s autonomous feeding technology following positive early results from an ongoing collaboration at a site in Orkney.
The expansion will see Tidal’s technology introduced at selected Scottish Sea Farms locations across Mainland Scotland, Orkney and Shetland.
The ongoing Orkney project has brought together SSFs’ farming expertise, BioMar’s nutritional expertise and Tidal’s AI-powered technology. Here, the Tidal system continuously monitors fish behaviour and environmental conditions during feeding and adjusts the feeding rate in real time based on the fish’s observed appetite and response.
The initial results from the collaboration have been positive and have provided the basis for SSF to expand the use of the technology to additional sites.
“The early experience has been very positive. The results are tracking in line with the expected performance model, which gives us increased confidence in the feeding decisions,” said Duane Coetzer, regional production manager at SSF.
“By bringing together farming, nutrition and technology, we can develop a much more precise understanding of what is happening during feeding. This gives us an opportunity to make better-informed decisions while keeping the focus firmly on fish performance and welfare.”
Mikey Clarkson, commercial manager at BioMar UK, said the collaboration demonstrates the value of connecting expertise across the aquaculture value chain.
“When we connect nutrition, fish behaviour and real-time data, we can develop more targeted feeding strategies that support fish performance while also contributing to more efficient use of feed. The collaboration gives us an opportunity to combine our respective expertise and learn from data generated in real farming conditions.”
Different environments
Anders Fossøy, general manager of Tidal Norway, said: “What is particularly valuable is the opportunity to take the experience from the initial project and test the technology across different farming environments. The combination of real-time fish behaviour and automated feeding decisions has the potential to make feeding more consistent and data-driven."
Scottish Sea Farms and Tidal will continue to build on the early experience from Orkney while the collaboration with BioMar continues to explore the connection between nutrition, fish behaviour and real-time feeding data.
“Technology alone does not transform the industry. It is collaboration and shared ownership of data and insights that create lasting change,” said Fossøy.
