Integrated Acoustic System for Monitoring Fish Feed and Waste in Aquaculture Pens

Feeding fish represents about 50 to 60% of the direct production expenses of an aquaculture operation. Wasted feed during the feeding process can range from 10 to 40%. Feed waste has negative environmental impacts. Waste accumulated underneath fish pens is toxic and must be removed periodically, which translates into additional labor costs. Hand feeding methods are labor intensive while some automated or semi-automated systems can cause more waste feed. Acoustic systems are commonly used for monitoring fish and other objects in marine and freshwater environments. Previous attempts to apply acoustic technology to the fish farming industry for fish biomass estimates and feed monitoring have been made. However, no cost effective or efficient system for feed and waste monitoring exists. We propose to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative integrated acoustic system with the following key elements: digital sonar, current meter, decision making and operator display. Our preliminary experiments with sonar monitoring of feed pellets in fish pens have been successful. Direct comparisons of fish feeding with and without our monitoring system will be made at a local fish farm. A comparison evaluation will be made using a common existing monitoring technique (e.g., airlift).