As the capacity and form of offshore fishing activities change, the applicability of traditional production methods becomes difficult or even impossible. For this reason, the methods of aquaculture maintain its dynamism by updating itself.

This change and transformation in modern fisheries, which is a field of activity that is always renewing and updating itself, requires the transfer of knowledge, methods and technology from other sectors as well as the knowledge obtained from traditional methods and their development by changing them according to the needs.

Why do we need to develop technology in fisheries?

Although the market we focus on is Europe and America, the source of a significant portion of seafood is still Far East Asia, and most of the activities in this market are still based on manpower. The larger the scale of the fishing operation being run, the more professionals with adequate knowledge are needed. Balanced mechanization comes into play at this stage and plays an important role for fisheries.

Mechanization, which is indispensably related to technology, is used not only to support professionals working in aquaculture facilities, but also to perform tasks that exceed manpower with less risk and in a safer way. On the other hand, there are systems equipped with mechanization fully integrated with technology to maintain the operation of offshore facilities.

What we need to understand is that the aquaculture industry today is no longer just fish or shrimp farming. Professional groups that have directed their careers to R&D in order to make aquaculture better, sustainable, environmentally compatible and friendly are now in the sector. These career groups play a crucial role in rationally and tangibly changing the prejudice inherited from traditional systems, and even today they are as essential stakeholders in aquaculture, as necessary as those operating in cages or ponds.

5 + 1: 5 focuses of technology use in fishing and doing all this remotely

We can list some of the topics that have been decided to be implemented in the light of the data obtained through experience by the regionally enacted legislations and authorities and for which mechanization benefits are sought with widespread experience:

  • Feeding technologies
  • early warning systems
  • Elimination tools
  • Cleaning and processing technologies
  • Technologies to control fisheries and environmental conditions


Of course, we can increase these topics, where we can generalize some of the mechanization solutions that concern aquaculture. Achieving to mechanize the activities in all these topics is a good action to increase efficiency and reduce long-term costs. What about being able to do all this remotely?

The future of offshore fish farming is in remote management.

"Remote control" is one of the most popular research and application areas on which R&D activities are carried out. Perhaps it would have been a futuristic dream fifteen to twenty years ago to control a facility installed anywhere in the world without being there, and to keep it running.

What is the basis of being able to manage a fish production facility remotely; of course, a facility that is fully and uninterruptedly connected to the internet, equipment, tools and systems that can talk to each other… Let's add an indispensable component without forgetting: a professional who can achieve complete control of this system.

When we examine it in terms of its advantages, we see that the advantages of remote control systems are quite high. It stands out by differentiating from traditional farming methods on important issues related to the operation, especially yield, cost and sustainability. Let's take a look at some of these items:

Increase yield

Efficiency is one of the most discussed issues in recent years. It is important to complete multiple tasks in a unit of time without any problems and to achieve this within the stipulated time in the light of environmental factors. Being efficient in fisheries is very important for sustainable production. Speaking of open sea cage fisheries, after detecting a possible algal bloom with a forewarning system, ensuring water circulation with propellers positioned around the cages is efficient as it is a short-term operation. Or, checking the quality of water regularly by means of probes is efficient as it is a high-capacity job done in a unit of time. Consider, too, that these are carried out from an onshore management office. Being able to keep the entire facility under control without going to the facility is only one of the important components of the sustainable production policy.

Ensuring sustainability

One of the basic conditions for maintaining the work with a routinized protocol in the production facilities is a regular workforce, and due to the working conditions, the high workforce circulation of the aquaculture sector may hinder the sustainable continuation of the work. This reason alone is reason enough to continue the entire workflow remotely; the unexpected failure of the personnel who do the feeding or regular water quality measurement may disrupt the continuity of the operation of the facility and even endanger the lives of living things.

This is why remote management systems working together with advanced mechanization make the work sustainable. Mechanized systems often act independently of unavoidable uncertainties. This makes the continuation of the work sustainable and ensures that the work is completed without falling behind the production plans.

It reduces the risks arising from occupational safety.

Since our business is directly related to water, it has its own safety procedures. Considering the working conditions, the remote management systems powered by mechanization in the fishing industry, which carries different risks than in the dry environment, ensure that the work that needs to be done instead of manpower is taken care of in high-risk areas.

Business lines such as feeding very large cages, cleaning of resting ponds, maintenance of treatment plants, cleaning of nets from fouling, collection of pollutants can easily be included in this section.

It enables early action in the face of danger.

Whether it operates in nature as an integral part of nature or is equipped with fully controlled circulation systems, production facilities are always faced with hazards that may disrupt the operation of the facility.

The possibility of algal blooms, decreases in water quality, storms, scavenging and contamination in the place where the facility is installed and always a risk to the continuity of operation. Remote management systems coordinated with sensors and mechanical equipment located around the facility, it is more practical and safe to use a remote management system instead of sending a personnel to the site in order to take the necessary actions in case of a danger that the facility may encounter. For example, stopping feeding when there is a risk of algae bloom, and lowering the cages to a predetermined depth of water in case of a severe storm are two good examples of these benefits.

It reduces transportation cost.

When it comes to the use of the coasts, we need to mention other stakeholders who benefit from it, along with the fishermen. While the regulations for cage farming are updated far from the coast, the cost of occupying a facility in easy-to-access areas increases, as the same region often hosts representatives from the tourism sector. While the ease of access to the facility is not an important parameter, especially when doing aquaculture in the sea, transportation to businesses far from the coast and settlements has a cost that must be taken into account, and this item is an important output that also affects the final price of the crop. Whether it is in the open, or on a promontory so fierce that boats cannot approach at any time during the day; remote management systems ensure that operations are carried out smoothly, without going to the facility or by minimizing round-trips. While saving fuel, time and energy, it increases efficiency due to regular use of time.

Eliminates shelter requirements.

In the North Atlantic, where the environmental conditions are quite harsh, there are self-run salmon farms today and they do everything from safety to measuring water quality parameters, either by themselves or managed from a center on land with an internet connection.

Perhaps one of the most important advantages of a remote aquaculture facility is that it eliminates the need for someone to be in charge of the farm. The necessity of commuting to the production facility and even living there is an important criterion that increases the cost of production, even if it is alternating. Not to mention the negative effects of human psychology and loneliness on people in the open sea.

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Although the initial setup costs of remote management systems seem a bit high, their long-term effects on production costs are quite positive. It is advantageous and economically efficient. When the costs of components such as transportation, accommodation, labor and effort are calculated, the tendency of enterprises to prefer remote management systems will be more than traditional methods.

The technology of the aquaculture sector, which has developed relative to mechanization, should force aquaculture professionals to invest in themselves after graduating from a technical or undergraduate degree. Because now, aquaculture production means much more than just feeding and raising fish in a farm, harvesting them and shipping them to the market.

It is one of the rules of being a professional who will make a name for himself/herself in aquaculture in the future by being a good observer, identifying the deficiencies and producing solutions to fill these deficiencies.