Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector and China has led this growth , accounting for 57.9 percent of the global share (FAO, 2020). European production, while smaller, is developing rapidly in areas of sustainability and automation innovation. T here are significant skills and knowledge to be shared between the two markets , particularly in the growing sector of land- based r ecirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), which provide significant benefits including total control of the growth environment , low water requirement, mitigation of disease and parasite risk, and reduced distance to market, but which also pose unique technological challenges.
Water in RAS is continually reused and fish are entirely dependent on producer management for high water quality. Identifying the most important water quality indicators, their complex interactions, how to monitor them and mitigate dangerous conditions, is the priority of the AquaDetector China -Malta collaborative project. Optimising water quality for juvenile fish, which are sensitive to variations, will ensure the optimal survival, growth, and welfare of juvenile trout and grouper in RAS via visualisation of water quality distribution using validated CFD modelling.
The project is developing precise detection technologies to classify fish stress behaviours including hunger and cannibalism through video image detection and monitoring to ensure fish quality, productivity, and animal welfare in the RAS environment . A utomation and precision observation will promote a shift in aquaculture production from highly labour dependent to highly technically oriented through enabling technologies including high-precision sensors and automated detection systems. These innovations will further progress aquaculture in both China and in Malta and promote collaboration between experts in the two countries for the improvement of smart and sustainable land-based fish cultivation.
Acknowledgement
Project AquaDetector funded by the Malta Council for Science and Technology through the Sino-Malta Fund 2019 (Science and Technology Cooperation). Grant agreement number: SINO-MALTA-2019-11 and financially supported by Science and Technology Cooperation – Sino-Malta Fund 2019: Research and Demonstration of Real-time Accurate Monitoring System for Juvenile Fish in Recirculating Aquaculture System (AquaDetector, Grant No. 2019YFE0103700), Ministry of Science and Technology, China.