How to Solve Seafood with IoT Technology

The global fishing economy is in trouble. And not just the wild-caught fisheries, either. According to a study by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), “In comparison to other sectors of the world food economy, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors are poorly planned, inadequately funded, and neglected by all levels of government.”

All is not lost, however (which the above study goes on to say), and one answer is coming out of the IoT, thanks to Catalina Sea Ranch, located in Long Beach, California. This IoT-enabled aquaculture fishery is developing the first “Open Ocean Shellfish Ranch in United States Federal Waters.” This idea is a direct result of the NOAA’s aquaculture policy and is designed to help reduce our nation's $10 billion seafood deficit.

Catalina will grow bivalve shellfish in its fishery, specifically mussels. Mussel production around the world adds up to about 2 million metric tons and is worth more than $1 billion dollars. Globally, filter-feeding bivalve shellfish are key players in ecologically sustainable aquaculture in marine environments because they act as canaries in the coal mine for environmental problems as well as water purifiers.

Catalina Sea Ranch will cultivate the Mediterranean mussel, which are larger, faster growing and have greater meat content than the Blue mussel and are more tolerant to heat and salinity. The Ranch is also developing spawning and grow-out technologies for the native Purple Hinge Rock Scallop, which blankets the legs of the nearby oil platforms and presents a prime market opportunity within the billion dollar scallop industry.

So where does the IoT enter the picture?

Once the operation is at full scale, in open water, growing mussels and, perhaps, scallops, Catalina plans to deploy cellular-loaded buoys that will float above the 150-foot-deep aquaculture farming units. They will collect data about water salinity, temperature and the growth rates of the mussels, which will be transmitted back to the home-base via the cellular transmitters. That data will them inform growing decisions.

“This is important because the US is running an $11 billion seafood trade deficit,” said Phil Cruver, CEO, Catalina Sea Ranch. “Our goal is to scale up aquaculture after we deploy our smart buoy and put in our sensor nets. As we expand, we’ll get more and better data every year.”

I’ll take mine with butter and a beer, please.