Today, farmers base their feeding regimes on manual observations of the fish and experiential interpretation of the fish’s behavior. Under such rearing conditions the feed conversion ratio (FCR)* often lies between 1.1 and 1.4, representing a potential over-feeding of approximately 30%. (*FCR = ratio describing the efficiency in terms of how much feed is required to produce 1 kg of fish).
The main goal of the project is to develop optimized feeding control using a combination of hydro acoustic sensors, which registers the fish’ movements in the pen, and new knowledge on physiology, grazing behavior and shoal structure of the salmon.
The KABIS project has been important in identifying underlying problems associated to intensive fish farming including issues concerning overfeeding. In addition, the project serves as an important collaboration platform between industry and R&D.
The project kick-off is planned in January 2021 and has a duration of three years.
The project consortium consists of industry actor and project manager Lingalaks, and R&D partners University of Bergen with project leader Professor Ivar Rønnestad, Institute of Marine research (Norway), University of Stirling (Scotland), and National Research Institute of Aquaculture (Japan). To ensure good dialogue between the project and the aquaculture industry a reference group is assembled consisting of Bremnes Seashore AS, Eide Fjordbruk AS, Lerøy Seafood Group ASA and Grieg Seafood ASA.
For more information, contact sigurd.handeland@uib.no