A New Approach to Sustainable Fish Farming: Tidal
How a company is using technology to help make fish farming a sustainable food for the future
This is what 1 million people look like. Now imagine this multiplied by 1000. And then picture that multiplied again by 3. That is how many people are at risk of losing their only food source.
According to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, right now 3 billion people across the world rely on seafood as their main source of nutrition. But unfortunately, we have already depleted 90% of our natural seafood resources! 🤯 So what can we do to make sure that around 40% of our population doesn’t starve?
The Problem
Right now, our population is about 7.8 billion people, but by 2050, this number is expected to be over 10 billion! And, despite all the progress we have made so far, we don’t have a reliable source of nutrition for all these people.
Currently, as I mentioned before, 3 billion people, or about 38% of the population, rely on seafood to feed themselves, but 90% of our natural seafood sources are gone.
One solution to this problem has been fish farming, which allows for us to grow seafood in the ocean, but in a controlled and replicable way. Unfortunately, right now, these farms are unsustainable, leading to increased pollution in the ocean from excess feed and unhealthy fish from sea pests, like sea lice.
Fortunately, there’s a company using technology to fix this problem and transform this solution into something sustainable… introducing Tidal!!!🎉
What is Tidal?
Tidal is a moonshot company currently using technology to help fish farmers improve their farming methods, by allowing them to monitor fish, reduce feed waste, and spot pests.
Tidal developed a system using cameras, sensors, and machine perception tools that can help farmers continuously monitor what’s happening in their farm, without having to be under the waves themselves!
Originally, Tidal started testing their systems in a kiddy pool 😂, but quickly they have expanded to ocean farms in Norway. By testing in these farms, they have been able to test their system in harsh conditions. They were also able to gather a TON of environmental data about the ocean and the fish, allowing for them to improve their systems even further!
Today, the company has been able to help many fish farmers better manage and control their fish, allowing for a sustainable source of food for many people to come!
About the Technology
The first main component of tidal’s system is camera and computer vision. The computer vision allows farmers to see under the waves 24/7 and monitor and track their fish from virtually anywhere!
The camera is equipped with 360-degree capabilities, which allows farmers to see everything that is happening everywhere on their farm.
The vision is also equipped with machine learning. This quickly processes and interprets images and then relays information to the farmer.
The next part is environmental sensors. The sensors collect data about temperature and salinity, which can help farmers identify important patterns about fish health!
Overall, Tidal’s system allows farmers to monitor their fish, keeping them healthy, reducing wastes, and creating a sustainable food option!
What’s Next
Right now, Tidal is working with a major Salmon producer to implement their system in fish farms across Norway. Here, they are working on developing ways to further expand their system, allowing for farms to rapidly expand their capabilities and reach!
After this, their plan is to work with ocean experts to help identify how machine learning programs and their sensors can help protect the oceans and restore their natural environments.
Tidal is paving the way to a sustainable food source for all, that works for both people and the world!
