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A Scottish project to develop an early-warning system to detect dangerous plankton and algae to help the aquaculture industry prevent losses has taken a significant step forward.

A consortium including Oban-headquartered marine technology provider OTAQ and the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) is developing a low-cost sensor system that can automatically sample, identify, and count specific microscopic organisms using imaging analysis.

Algae and plankton build-up is a major issue in aquaculture and can prove fatal to stocks, In 2019, a particularly severe case in Norway led to the loss of a substantial number of fish.Current methods used for monitoring plankton and algae numbers rely on readings manually taken once or twice per day and the results can often be inaccurate.

Using microscope camera technology and a water sampling tool, OTAQ’s new system will use artificial intelligence (AI) to process images and provide a near real-time reading for fish farmers. Fish farms can then take preventative measures, such as the activation of a ‘bubble curtain’ or barrier to protect a stretch of water or stop feeding salmon when necessary.

Chris Hyde, chief commercial officer at OTAQ which is also working alongside the Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre (IFCC) at the University of Aberdeen and Glasgow-based CENSIS (the Innovation Centre for sensor and imaging systems and Internet of Things technologies), said: “Plankton and algae are a significant problem for the aquaculture industry – substantial stocks of salmon have been lost in the past few years, from Norway to Chile, because of the issue.

“Early detection of harmful species of plankton and algae has been a sticking point and we’re looking to overcome that problem with our new sensing technology, which will fundamentally automate the process and provide accurate information about plankton numbers 24 hours a day.

“The development of the sensors is the first step towards a more comprehensive early-warning system. This is a strategically important product for us, which will offer salmon farms a better view of what’s happening on their sites and extra data with which they can make decisions – many businesses have already said they need it.

“The involvement of two of Scotland’s innovation centres and the University of Aberdeen has accelerated the development process significantly and provided us with the scientific grounding to produce accurate, actionable data.”

Caroline Griffin, aquaculture innovation manager at SAIC, said: “This technology could prove a real breakthrough for aquaculture in all salmon-producing countries, enhancing fish wellbeing and health by tackling one of the biggest threats to stocks. In Scotland, it could underpin the Scottish Government’s Farmed Fish Health Framework over the next decade.

“It builds on many of our previous projects around improving fish health and wellbeing, along with reducing the industry’s environmental impact by adopting new technologies from other sectors and applying them to aquaculture.”