Are Drones Really Revolutionizing Aquaculture?

With the modular waterproof drone system, modern technologies are aiding the entire waterways industry, from fishers to scientists, in pushing innovation forward.

Fremont, CA: Real estate agents use flying drones to take aerial images of for-sale homes, while merchants are looking into drone-based delivery systems. Aquaculture could be on the verge of a similar transformation, with underwater drones providing fish farmers with eyes under the waves, allowing them to monitor water conditions and quickly rectify equipment faults. According to drone makers, these underwater drones will detect dissolved oxygen levels and other physical and chemical data instead of delivering items. They'll also have cameras to spot tears in nets before they become too serious.

Farm mechanization in the future, enabled by drones and a slew of other coming technology, will be nothing like it was in the past. Previously, mechanization and automation effectively added muscle to activities that required raw power, allowing workers to lift, carry, and perform more. Drones will play a part in the future improvement, but other technologies will also be important. Drones, sensors, robots, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, software development, and big data are just a few of the technologies that will be used in the future. When all of these technologies are combined, significantly more progress is made than if they were used alone. The interaction of these technologies is similar to that of a nervous system. However, for fish farms, the initial stage is just placing sensors in the water.

If fisheries want to know what's going on out there, they'll need a sensor placed near the water. Chemistry measurements can't be done remotely. Drones with advanced technology can map ocean currents, temperatures, dissolved oxygen, and salinity, all of which are valuable to fish farms. Drones can even keep an eye on conditions inside a fish pen while the fish are eating.

Fisheries can truly know what's going on while dealing with them, feeding them, and collecting them if there are a lot of these sensing vehicles moving around in a pen full of fish.