iFarm project set to launch in January by Cermaq

Cermaq aims to enhance aquaculture in coastal regions, leveraging the natural benefits for sustainable ocean food production. The future of farming in Norway hinges on the successful integration of sustainability and cost-effectiveness. iFarm, a unique technology for individual-based farming, plays a crucial role in Cermaq's plan to bolster coastal farming. iFarm employs image recognition to identify each salmon individually and monitor them, for instance, a fish infested with sea lice can be isolated for treatment. This reduces the need for handling the fish, thereby promoting their health and welfare. "This is the best Christmas gift we could have received," exclaims an ecstatic Fish Health Manager at Cermaq, Karl Fredrik Ottem, who will spearhead the iFarm project. Cermaq, BioSort, and the Directorate of Fisheries have outlined how the project can be expanded to four development licenses. This implies that the project will not advance as much towards commercial testing as initially intended. "The project's objective is to create prototypes with iFarm's core functions to ascertain the technological feasibility of individual salmon farming in sea net pens. A crucial aspect of the iFarm project is to demonstrate how the fish's behavior and welfare will interact with the new technological solutions and functionalities," states Karl Fredrik Ottem. BioSort, the firm developing the sensor-based solutions in iFarm, has already conducted several tests at the Institute of Marine Research at their research center at Matre. "The essence of iFarm is that we monitor each salmon using machine vision, establishing a health record for each individual, and can isolate the fish that requires follow up. This will be beneficial not only for farmers, but also for authorities and consumers. We are eager to get started, and several new positions will now be filled," says Geir Stang Hauge, CEO of BioSort. "Individualized farming, which is the core of iFarm, truly addresses animal welfare. If successful, this could have a significant potential for the authorities if the administrations will have access to real-time information about, for instance, biomass, lice situation, and disease conditions at each sea site," says Chief Veterinary Officer Kristina Landsverk in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Cermaq is investing NOK 580 million in iFarm. As per the plan, the first fish will be transferred in the autumn of 2020 to a sea site in Steigen municipality where the first stage of iFarm will be installed. The development of iFarm presents a unique opportunity for equipment suppliers to participate in an exciting and high-tech development project in Norway. "The iFarm project is a significant boost for the region. We estimate that this will mean 17 positions only in Cermaq during the up to 6-year project period. iFarm is being developed locally, we will develop the actual construction in the net pen and machine learning here. This is a significant build-up for Cermaq in Nordland and for the entire aquaculture industry," says Cermaq’s regional director Snorre Jonassen, who has been instrumental in the design of the iFarm project.