SincereAqua’s new AI-powered shrimp counters promise to enhance productivity and accuracy in shrimp farms, addressing long-standing issues of population counting and operational efficiency.
In recent advancements within the aquaculture sector, Danish company SincereAqua has unveiled a range of AI-driven shrimp counters designed to tackle long-standing issues in accurately quantifying shrimp populations on land-based farms. This technological innovation promises to enhance productivity, reduce labour, and optimise the overall operations of shrimp farms by minimizing feeding errors and ensuring steady supply and quality.
Shrimp farming has traditionally grappled with the challenge of determining accurate shrimp counts, leading to potential overstocking or understocking. Overstocking can cause poor growth rates, nutritional deficiencies, increased stress, heightened disease susceptibility, and even mortality, leading to economic losses. Conversely, understocking results in inefficient use of resources and farm capacity, resulting in poor harvests and reduced profitability.
To address these challenges, SincereAqua, a specialist in biomass insights, has developed three shrimp counters – SC-4K, SC-20K, and SC-60K – each designed to cater to different sizes of shrimp farms. The SC-4K is targeted at smaller farms, with the capability to count 200,000 shrimp per hour. The SC-20K can handle up to 1.2 million shrimp per hour on larger farms, while the SC-60K is designed for the biggest setups globally, counting up to 3.6 million shrimp an hour. These counters are able to consistently manage shrimp from 0.1 to 5 grams, achieving a precision rate of 95%.
The technology involves sensor systems and cameras that capture images of shrimp, which are then processed in real-time using AI and deep learning algorithms to ensure accuracy by differentiating shrimp from debris and other foreign elements. In addition, users gain access to Sincere Cloud, which provides detailed shrimp population data and facilitates effective farm management by maintaining historical records of shrimp transfers.
In May 2024, HanseGarnelen, a land-based shrimp farm in Grevesmühlen, Germany, integrated SincereAqua’s SC-4K counter into their operations. This integration has significantly streamlined the process of transferring shrimp from nursery to grow-out ponds. Operations manager Karl Bissa noted a substantial reduction in time and manpower required for transfers, from three hours with two to three people to just one hour by a single individual for 30,000 shrimp.
Bissa highlighted that prior to employing the technology, manual errors in weighing and counting led to inconsistent feeding and inaccurate harvest forecasts. With precise shrimp counts, the farm can now accurately calculate feed requirements, which has led to cost savings, improved water quality, and enhanced growth and survival rates of the shrimp. The technology has also contributed to decreased post-transfer mortality rates and improved the overall condition of the shrimp.
Founder of SincereAqua, Fridi Mellemgaard, foresees a broader adoption of AI in shrimp farming, spotlighting benefits such as improved monitoring, control, disease detection, feeding optimisation, predictive analytics, and automation. Mellemgaard notes that for AI to be effective, it requires accurate data, emphasising the importance of automation tools like the shrimp counters to provide consistent stocking density data.
With positive outcomes observed in Europe and ongoing trials in Ecuador, SincereAqua plans to extend its range of automated tools further to enhance productivity and efficiency in shrimp farming. Mellemgaard and Bissa both underscore the significance of reliable data in devising and implementing new farming strategies to surge productivity and simplify operations by incorporating AI.
As the aquaculture industry continues to evolve, such technological advancements are pivotal in steering the sector towards greater efficiency, reduced costs, and sustainable practices.
Source: Noah Wire Services
