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Laser Sensors provide Accurate Data to Fish Farmers

Breakthrough:
By providing accurate data to fish farmers on the health of their fish, AXAT laser monitoring has made the aquaculture business more efficient, with less food waste, and instant feedback on the health of the stock.

The Story:
AXAT, Inc. (Algorithm Experts for Advanced Technology) has developed a new remote-sensing technology that can count and measure farmed fish, as well as assessing their health.

Valerie Robitaille says the concept evolved from a research project she was working on that investigated the behaviors of light in shallow water environments.

She realized it was possible to monitor specific physical properties of underwater organisms and suspended particles while experimenting with different laser systems. Robitaille and partner Cody Andrews saw the potential to change the global aquaculture industry with a low cost monitoring system that could aid food-management practices.

The AXAT laser technology takes a lot of the guess work out of fish farming operations by offering precise, real time measurements of food concentrations, growth rates, fish mass estimates, etc. Linking the technology to mechanical feeding systems would allow operators to run a nearly automatic operation.

By having such precise data, fish farmers can accurately supply the correct amount of feed, thereby increasing the food conversion ratio and reducing waste output.

The system's sensors can supply accurate date on:

• quantity of finfish, shellfish larvae, juveniles and adults in a body of water
• the quantity of live feed in the water
• the concentration of suspended waste or clay in the water
• the fitness level (by tracking movement)
• changes in pigmentation or texture of the skin
• tracking early signs of abnormal parasite infection or disease

The AXAT device should be ready for commercial hatcheries by the fall of 2010, and will make it much easier for new fish farmers to break into the business.

[SEAFOOD SOURCE]
[MAINEBIZ]

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