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Survey open now The so-called “4th industrial revolution” -Aquaculture 4.0 – is projected to enable a 15-20% increase in the aquaculture sector by the year 2030. In this context, European aquaculture has been recently applying innovative and disruptive technologies to transform fishery management strategies, with major impact on the implementation of new Circular Bioeconomy approaches. In addition to the expected impact on growth, the benefits of Aquaculture 4.0 include improved productivity, efficiency, and reduced costs. By answering this survey, you will contribute to defining, integrating, and scaling up better solutions that aim to accelerate the blue growth economy. We thank you in advance!

F. Le Gall, J. DePrisco, SG. Prescott, S. Budaev, L. Ebbesson, A. Abid, B. Orihuela , I. Rønnestad Presented to Aquaculture Europe, October 2021, Madeira, Portugal. In this paper, I present how the NGSI-LD specification can be used to handle complex Digital Twin processes in the context of a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS). The digital twin model is based on understanding the whole fish organism as an adaptive agent, robust, testable biological theory that is implemented in the computer code. This means that the model not only describes a specific aspect of fish nutrition, energetics, growth, or behaviour in the form... Read More

Survey open now The so-called “4th industrial revolution” -Aquaculture 4.0 – is projected to enable a 15-20% increase in the aquaculture sector by the year 2030. In this context, European aquaculture has been recently applying innovative and disruptive technologies to transform fishery management strategies, with major impact on the implementation of new Circular Bioeconomy approaches. In addition to the expected impact on growth, the benefits of Aquaculture 4.0 include improved productivity, efficiency, and reduced costs. By answering this survey, you will contribute to defining, integrating, and scaling up better solutions that aim to accelerate the blue growth economy. We thank you in advance!

iFishIENCi project partners AquaBioTech Group and Bioceanor have been collaborating on an equation for the future of land-based fish farming. With feed waste becoming an important sustainability concern, knowledge of fish hunger beyond what is visible to the experienced human eye is essential for feeding fish responsibly. Project researchers have combined machine learning and remote observation technology to define subtle fish behaviors at different levels of fullness. This will train the iBOSS smart feeding system to assist farmers with precise round-the-clock feed monitoring and delivery, ensuring that fish receive the right amount of feed only when it’s needed!

Aquaculture and sustainable growth go together! Confirmed by the European Commission in their strategic guidelines for EU aquaculture 2021-2030, and understood by initiatives working to achieve eco-intensification, preserve biodiversity, and develop better practices and technologies, Aquaculture is paving the way to be both a more environmentally friendly and more efficient industry. Sharing this goal, the EU H2020 funded projects GAIN, iFishIENCi and IMPAQT launch Horizon4Aquaculture, a three-day online event  — 15th, 22nd and 29th June — to work together in 3 key aspects: Policy and Regulation, Circularity, and Precision Aquaculture. Horizon4Aquaculture invites researchers, aquaculture farmers, policymakers, national and pan-national aquaculture development organizations to join the conversation and contribute to... Read More

At project partner Bioceanor, video images of precision feeding trials are labeled to assist with target acquisition and tracking of the fish. Training artificial intelligence technology on how to make an automatic assessment of fish feeding behaviour is both a difficult and fascinating challenge of our work. Excited to know more? https://ifishienci.eu/our-research/  IoT/AI Technology integration builds upon the foundations developed in Biology 4.0. Sensors and feeders etc. will be incorporated into an ‘Internet of Things’ environment. This includes the development of data aggregation and analytical processes that interact with sensors, artificial intelligence learning and cloud data storage. IoT: Bring sensors and... Read More

Researchers at iFishIENCi Project partner AquaBioTech Group are currently conducting x-ray radiography to determine the gut fullness of rainbow trout after feeding events. This data will support behavioural observations associated with hunger and satiation, which will be used in the development of the Fish-Talk-To-Me innovation. Fish-Talk-To-Me uses continuous gathering of fish physiological data and camera technology for automatic assessment of fish behaviour. This information informs the decision-making of the iBOSS online monitoring and smart feeding system. This experiment is part of the Work Package 1, Biology 4.0, which also features smart feeding and management technology pre-trials and novel feed ingredients testing.... Read More

Work is progressing well at our demonstration sites, where the developed iBOSS technology, including sensors, automated feeders, and artificial intelligence, will be tested in commercial environments. At the site in Souda Bay, Greece, the sub-camera is now online, allowing the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) researchers to see the behavior of European Seabass inside the open sea cages. At Partner AquaBioTech (ABT), Malta, work is progressing on the enhanced fit-out of the land based recirculating aquaculture demo site, where the Barramundi experiments will be conducted. Nile Tilapia feeding experiments are also in preparation. Developed and overseen by partner Vitafort... Read More

iFishIENCi Project partner Easy Global Market are excited to announce that they have released Stellio. Stellio is the open source NGSI-LD broker which is the heart of the iBOSS cloud data hub. Stellio connects fish farms data to optimise fish feeding in aquaculture, using machine learning based algorithms. With iBOSS, information about fish behaviour, physiology, and environmental conditions can be collected in real-time. It is then securely transferred to a digital representation of a fish -the Digital Twin- a form of artificial intelligence. The digital twin fish then sends a message to the monitoring system, either informing the farmer of issues or... Read More

The iFishIENCi project is discovering new insights into consumer attitudes towards aquaculture through the online social survey our partner @ttzBremerhaven has led. Questionnaires were designed using the service SoScisurvey, and access was given by the website, Twitter and Facebook of partner ttz, Bremerhaven. In the questionnaire, consumers’ attitudes towards fish/seafood products, aquaculture and sustainability were investigated. To consumers, sustainability means regulated catches to prevent overfishing, the compliance to catch quota, and further the conservation of fish stocks and the sea. No sensory (taste, texture) differences were observed by consumers between aquaculture products and wild catch. Our consumers see aquaculture produced... Read More

This podcast was recorded at Aquaculture Europe Berlin last year at the session Sustainable European Aquaculture 4.0: Nutrition and Breeding Innovatio. Listen now to the three project coordinators: Tamas Bardocz from AquaBioTech Group (iFishIENCi), Antti Kause (AquaIMPACT), and Asa Espmark (FutureEUAqua). To hear how the iFishIENCi project will impact the future of Developing Competitive and Environmentally-Friendly European Aquaculture (along with the sister projects AquaIMPACT, and FutureEUAqua).

Marine microalgae are spotlighted as potentially valuable ingredients for fish nutrition. Their high protein content, balanced amino acid profile and most importantly omega-3 fatty acids make them a fundamental component of the marine lifecycle and therefore an interesting candidate for the aquafeed industry, especially for salmonids. Under the roof of the EU-Project iFishIENCi, Aller Aqua Research (AAR) investigated the potential of a microalgae meal (Nannochloropis gaditana) in test diets for rainbow trout. In the initial trial, main interest was given to feed palatability, nutrient digestibility and fatty acid profile of the ingredient, produced at the Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), located... Read More

iFishIENCi partners, Aller Aqua Research & Development and AquaBioTech Group, met together last week to a plan for the project’s summer trial. The experiment will be carried out in Malta, monitoring the biological and physical aspects of barramundi. Camera technology will be used to monitor fish behavior during feeding trials, and sensors will be used to monitor water quality parameters within the cultivation system. Barramundi, also known as Asian seabass, is an important high-value aquaculture species, and is a promising candidate fish for cultivation within land-based systems.

iFishIENCi partner, AquaBioTech Group, attended AgraME 2020 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, in UAE, where iFishIENCi was introduced to the attendees at stand number Z5.H20. AgraME is a yearly exhibition for sustainable farming and food security. The conference works as a networking and knowledge sharing event, giving exhibitors access to an engaged and targeted audience looking to source innovations, solutions and products.

iFishIENCi partner, ttz Bremerhaven have used a questionnaire to collect information from the attendees of the fish international event in Bremen. The responses will be evaluated using a social acceptance analysis framework, currently being developed by the iFishIENCi team. Fish international is the only German trade fair for fish and seafood. Every two years, it attracts around 12,000 visitors from the fish and hospitality industry, such as fish wholesalers and food retailers.

iFishIENCi partner, Leitat has shipped an antioxidant supplement, extracted from Nannochloropsis powder (photoautotrophic microalgae), to Aller Aqua Research & Development, for the project’s fish feed trial in Germany. Nannochloropsis powder was provided by NORCE and treated by LEITAT by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction followed by enzymatic technologies, to improve the accessibility of bioactive compounds contained within the algal cells. The supplement will be used in Rainbow trout diets to assess its effects on fish growth performance and its possible influence on the fish microbiome.

As part of the autumn trial, iFishIENCi partners, Bioceanor and Hellenic Centre for Marine Research – HCMR, have continued the collection of real-time water quality data, using methods based on the experiences of the summer trial. The measurement system (AquaBOX) is being deployed to analyse water quality parameters, such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, reduction–oxidation reactions, conductivity, salinity and turbidity, at HCMR, in Greece. Moreover, water, sludge and fish samples are taken to study the microbiome of the system, in collaboration with iFishIENCi partner, Leitat.

The challenges, trends and current developments in aquaculture were the main topics discussed at Focus Fish this week in Bremerhaven, Germany. The event served as a “Meeting Point for Fish Industry and Aquaculture” where, participants shared their thoughts about traceability and determination of fish species, post-harvest shrimp processing and microplastics. iFishIENCi was presented by project partner, ttz Bremerhaven, focusing on innovative technologies for quality improvement of fish and seafood products.

iFishIENCi partner, Aller Aqua Research & Development has commenced testing the effects of Nannochloropsis meal on Rainbow trout in Germany. The trial will last for 8 weeks and focuses on palatability and digestibility of the microalgae. Faeces are being collected to investigate a modulatory effect of Nannochloropsis upon the intestinal microbiome and its consequences for protein digestibility, health and overall performance of fish. The photoautotrophic microalgae (Nannochloropsis) were produced last year at the National Algaepilot Mongstad in Norway, by Universitetet i Bergen and NORCE.

How can we design a technology that will support efficient and sustainable aquaculture? iFishIENCi partner, Ivar Ronnestad from University of Bergen, has visited AquaBioTech Group in Malta, to plan experiments expected to begin in March next year. The trials will use innovative techniques with cameras combined with food tracers to monitor the feeding behavior of fish. Food tracers are used for measuring individual food intake. These glass beads are placed in fish meal and they can be traced in fish digestive system using X-ray. The information generated by these trials will be analysed by artificial intelligence produced by the iFishIENCi project, and the results will be... Read More

Tamás Bardócz from AquaBioTech Group delivered a presentation describing the #iFishIENCi project to the 9th International Fisheries Symposium in Aquaculture Systems and Management in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event was organized by the Universiti Putra Malaysia, and took place during the #ASEANFisheriesEducationNetwork (ASEAN-FEN). The presentation ended with a thought-provoking discussion, which raised the possibility of cooperation with similar projects in the South-East Asia region.

AquaBioTech Group held an internal technical meeting to discuss the technical aspects of the iFishIENCi experiments to be carried out in Malta. Tamás Bardócz, project coordinator, introduced the project to the attendees and organised a brainstorming activity focusing on the future trials. Staff members with expertise discussed the trials with respect of improving aquaculture management and developing innovative technologies.

iFishIENCi partner, ttz Bremerhaven is organising an international conference, Focus Fish – The Meeting Point for Fish Industry and Aquaculture, for the 21st and 22nd of January in Bremerhaven. Register here, if you would like to attend, and learn more about innovative technologies for quality improvement of fish and seafood, about developments, challenges and trends in the aquaculture sector and last but not least about our iFishIENCi project.

More than 2700 participants from 85 countries attended this year’s Aquaculture Europe event last week in Berlin. The latest aquaculture research and innovations have been introduced within 56 sessions, 1039 abstracts, 798 oral presentations and 443 posters including 94 E-posters. iFishIENCi’s digital technology approach have been introduced within 5 presentations including a common session with our sister projects, AquaIMPACT and FutureEUAqua.

As part of the Malta Innovation Summit, AquaBioTech Group hosted an “Innovation in Aquaculture” workshop, as a side event. iFishIENCI’s research and innovations were presented, focusing on the project’s early warning systems, such as iBOSS and Biology 4.0, and how Waste-2-Value feeds into the principles of sustainable aquaculture development and circular economy.

IFishIENCi’s first Annual Meeting continues today with a project workshop, work package group discussions and technical consultations in Berlin. Follow us on our social media pages to learn more about our project contribution and get first-hand information on our trials.

iFishIENCi partners summarising the project’s first year achievements and progress, as well as setting up future plans at iFishIENCi’s first Annual Meeting in Berlin. Project partners gathered together taking advantage of their attendance to Aquaculture Europe Berlin to further develop iFishIENCi’s Internet of Things (IOT) approach combined with Artificial Intelligent (AI) to increase the efficiency of aquaculture management.

It was a remarkable experience to present at our common session with our sister projects, AquaIMPACT and FutureEUAqua at Aquaculture Europe Berlin. Lars Ebbesson, from NORCE introduced iFishIENCi’s approach to digitising and optimising feed production for sustainable and profitable European Aquaculture, while Franck Le Gall, from Easy Global Market highlighted our plans on accelerating Internet Of Things and Artificial Intelligence in the aquaculture field. Last but not least Steven Prescott, from AquaBioTech Group presented on using life cycle assessment to compare aquaculture products.

Maxime Lafont, from iFishIENCI partner, Bioceanor presents iFishIENCi’s work on digitization of aquaculture for a sustainable future at Aquaculture Europe Berlin at the “Precision farming, AI and Big Data session.

Steven Prescott, from AquaBioTech Group presents on using life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare aquaculture products at Aquaculture Europe Berlin. LCA can play an important role in enabling decision makers to define sustainable strategies for creating food security and economic growth in the EU aquaculture sector.

iFishIENCi partner, Franck Le Gall from Easy Global Market shows plans on accelerating Internet Of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the aquaculture field at Aquaculture Europe Berlin.

Lars Ebbesson, from iFishIENCi partner, NORCE introduces our project approach to digitising and optimising feed production for sustainable and profitable European Aquaculture. iFishIENCi’s innovations are introduced at Aquaculture Europe Berlin, at the “Sustainable European Aquaculture 4.0 session.

Dorinde Kleinegris, from NORCE presents on photoautotrophic microalgae as potential ingredient for fish feed at Aquaculture Europe Berlin. iFishIENCi partner, NORCE has optimised the production process for microalgae based fish feed and used the data for techno-economic analysis. The results indicate, that microalgae based omega-3 fatty acids can compete with heterotrophic microalgae oil and even fish oil. In the IFishIENCI project, the team continues to build on these results, improving the process and looking at the integration of waste streams from aquaculture, as well as producing large quantities of biomass for further fish feed analyses.

The first batch of Nannochloropsis powder (photoautotrophic microalgae) has been shipped to iFishIENCi partner Aller Aqua Research & Development, for the project’s autumn fish feed trial in Germany. The algae were produced using state-of-the-art tubular photobioreactors (GemTube TM) and optimized production processes by iFishIENCi partners, Universitetet i Bergen and NORCE, at the National Algaepilot Mongstad in Norway. The biomass was further treated using bead-milling technology to enhance its digestibility, and then dried. The Nannochloropsis powder contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, and potentially can replace the use of fish-oil in fish feeds.

iFishIENCi project will be present at the Aquaculture Europe event from the 7th of October in Berlin, Germany. Meet the iFishIENCi team at the Aller Aqua, AquaBioTech Group and Bioceanor stands, and get to know more about the project’s innovation action by attending our presentations. Dorinde Kleinegris from NORCE will provide a presentation on the 8th of October within the Algae session at 14:30 in the Festival room. Lars Ebbesson from NORCE, Philippe Cousin from Easy Global Market and Steven Prescott from AquaBioTech Group will introduce the iFishIENCi project at the session of “Sustainable European aquaculture 4.0: nutrition and breeding innovations” on the 9th of October from 14:50... Read More

iFishIENCi partner, NCE Seafood Innovation Cluster, is supporting efforts towards digitalisation and data standardisation efforts in the Norwegian salmon industry, by focusing upon environmental, health and welfare registrations, and reporting systems. At this year’s Aqua Nor conference, Björgolfur Hávardsson gave a presentation describing the iFishIENCi project’s role in digital technology development, and its contribution towards delivering value to industry and R&D companies. Lars Ebbesson, from NORCE, also provided a general overview of the iFishIENCi project during the “New opportunities in the ocean” seminar.

iFishIENCi partner, NORCE, is testing the microalgae species Phaeodactylum tricornutum, as a possible replacement of fish oil in salmon feed. Dorinde Kleinegris, Senior Researcher of NORCE, presented the first results at the Aqua Nor conference in Trondheim, Norway. Phaeodactylum can be used as a source of omega-3 fatty acid, and might be able to replace 25% of fish oil in salmon feed without negative effects.

iFishIENCi partners attending Aqua Nor joined together for a technical meeting in Trondheim, Norway. Prior to the technical meeting, consortium partners also joined the event via Skype to prepare the agenda for iFishIENCi’s Annual meeting. The Annual meeting will take place in Berlin, Germany as part of this year’s Aquaculture Europe event.

iFishIENCi project will be present at Aqua Nor between the 20th and the 23rd of August in Trondheim, Norway. Meet the iFishIENCi team, NORCE and AquaBioTech Group, at Hall A, by stand number A-138 and at Hall D, by stand number D-332. Don’t miss out on our presentations and side seminars all scheduled for the 22nd of August. Björgolfur Hávardsson from NCE Seafood Innovation Cluster will present iFishIENCI under the session of “Digitalisation in aquaculture” at the PHARMAQademy at 10 am at Banksalen, Kongens gate 4. Dorinde Kleinegris and Lars Ebbesson from NORCE will introduce iFishIENCi’s novel fish feed ingredients at the mini-symposium of “Driving sustainable development of aquaculture”... Read More

As part of the summer trial, iFishIENCi partners, Bioceanor and Hellenic Centre for Marine Research – HCMR are deploying a real-time measurement system (AquaBOX) to analyse water quality parameters at the facilities of HCMR, in Greece. AquaBOX works as a datalogger, enabling real-time data collection for water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, reduction–oxidation reactions, conductivity, salinity and turbidity. The system stores the data on a cloud system and enables instant access to the information on a web platform. The AquaBOX datalogger will be used as a component of iFishIENCi’s iBOSS system, which will be a main developmental outcome of the project.

iFishIENCi partner, AquaBioTech Group, is using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to understand how technology developed in the iFishIENCi project will influence the environmental impacts of aquaculture systems. LCA can play an important role in enabling decision makers to define sustainable strategies for creating food security and economic growth in the EU aquaculture sector.

H2020 IFishIENCi partner, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research – HCMR are investigating the thermal tolerance of the European sea bass, evaluating their response to different temperatures in marine recirculating aquaculture systems. Video observation techniques are being used to monitor their behavior and physiology, indicators which help the scientists distinguish which conditions are most suitable for the fish. Water quality parameters are being measured in real-time using advanced digital technology, and changes in the microbial communities are also being analysed to explore correlations between microbiological changes and other parameters, such as water quality and fish health.

As part of the #H2020 #IFishIENCI project Aller Aqua Research are formulating fish feed using fungi, and both photoautotrophic and heterotrophic microalgae. These microorganisms are being produced by NORCE as ingredients to replace fishmeal obtained from wild fish populations. The first batches of these novel protein sources have been produced successfully and large amounts are now being cultivated for future trials that will take place later this year.

Over 40 participants attended #iFishIENCi’s paper presentation at the “First Workshop on Agriculture and Aquaculture (AGRIAQUA’19)”. The workshop was part of this week’s Global IoT summit held in Aarhus, Denmark. iFishIENCi partner, Philippe COUSIN, on behalf of Bioceanorintroduced the project with the title of “Back to the future: IoT to improve aquaculture”. The presentation highlighted the benefits of using an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to improve aquaculture, in particular iFishIENCI’s focus upon smart feeding. https://globaliotsummit.org/

iFishIENCi partner, Philippe Cousin from Easy Global Market will chair a new workshop created for the aquaculture sector at the Global IoT summit in Aarhus, Denmark next week. The “First Workshop on Agriculture and Aquaculture (AGRIAQUA’19)” provides a full session introducing 3 papers on how IoT (Internet of Things) can be used in Aquaculture. The iFishIENCi project will be presented within this session on the 17th of June at 4pm. IoT plays a major role in iFishIENCI, including the development of AI (Artificial Intelligence) applications for smart feeding and other aspects of aquaculture management.https://globaliotsummit.org/

iFishIENCi partners joined forces in Bergen, Norway, to plan the project’s preliminary trials. At the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research – HCMR, in Greece, a spring pre-trial is taking place focusing on the use of fish sensors. In autumn, pre-trials will commence at Aller Aqua Research & Development, in Germany to test feed formulation, while at the AquaBioTech Group, in Malta the team will test water quality sensors. A third trial session has been set for spring, 2020, focusing upon on the integration technology with smart systems.

The iFisHIENCi project received enthusiastic feedback at the SEA-Acuicultura XVII Spanish Aquaculture Congress in Cartagena, Spain, for its focus upon feed ingredients sourced from valorized waste as ingredients for fish feed. As part of the event, project partner, Leitat, represented iFishIENCi at a round table discussion organised by Clúster Acuiplus. The objectives of iFishIENCi and its implementation strategy were presented with a specific focus on how the project combines circularity in aquaculture using principles of sustainability, management and innovation.

iFishIENCi partner, Szent István Egyetem, has started their breeding and feeding experiments on African catfish in Hungary. For the breeding trial, a thousand fish have been measured and two hundred have been chosen for further DNA extraction and genetic analysis. Microsatellite and SCAR markers were used to select the best-performing individuals for breeding. After data analysis, 16 females and 18 males were bred and three thousand fish have been transported to Bajcshal – Győri Előre Halászati Termelőszövetkezet to the feeding trials using feeds developed by iFishIENCi partner, Aller Aqua Research & Development.

iFishIENCi partner, Leitat is attending to the XVII Spanish Aquaculture Congress organised by SEA-Acuicultura between the 7th and 10th of May in Cartagena (Murcia, Spain). The event will present the latest scientific innovations in aquaculture aligned with the strategy of Blue Growth. The 4 days congress covers sessions in circular economy, 4.0 aquaculture, nutrition and food, reproduction, genetics, economics and production, plant engineering, instrumentation and processes, as well as round table discussions. iFishIENCi’s general objectives and expected outcomes will be introduced by LEITAT within the round table discussion of “Closing the loop in the aquiculture sector through sustainability, management and innovation” on the 9th... Read More

The iFishIENCi project has been created under the title of “Intelligent fish feeding through integration of enabling technologies and circular principle”. The aim of the project is to provide an iFishIENCi Biology Online Steering System (iBOSS), that significantly improves production control and management for all fish aquaculture systems. The project was officially opened on the 1st of November, and the work started with a project meeting and a WP1 workshop between the 4th and the 6th of December in Malta. The iFishIENCi project includes 17 partners from all over Europe with the coordination of the AquaBioTech Group.