Biology and Technology Interaction: Study identifying the impact of robotic systems on fish behaviour change in industrial scale fish farms

TL;DR

This study investigates how underwater robotic systems influence the behavior of farmed Atlantic salmon in Norwegian fish farms, highlighting the importance of considering animal welfare in technological advancements.

Contribution

It provides experimental insights into the behavioral impact of underwater robots on fish, a previously underexplored aspect in aquaculture technology development.

Findings

Robotic presence alters fish behavior patterns

Behavioral changes depend on robot operation modes

Preliminary results suggest potential welfare implications

Abstract

The significant growth in the aquaculture industry over the last few decades encourages new technological and robotic solutions to help improve the efficiency and safety of production. In sea-based farming of Atlantic salmon in Norway, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are already being used for inspection tasks. While new methods, systems and concepts for sub-sea operations are continuously being developed, these systems generally does not take into account how their presence might impact the fish. This abstract presents an experimental study on how underwater robotic operations at fish farms in Norway can affect farmed Atlantic salmon, and how the fish behaviour changes when exposed to the robot. The abstract provides an overview of the case study, the methods of analysis, and some preliminary results.