MINI-ROVS IMPROVING AQUACULTURE OPERATIONS

K. Vallier*
Deep Trekker Inc.
Ayr, ON N0B 1E0
kvallier@deeptrekker.com

Maintaining a fish farm involves a culmination of different tasks. These tasks include but are not limited to net inspections, mort retrieval, size grading, and fish monitoring. The proposed presentation offers a case study analysis of the use of Deep Trekker mini-ROVs to perform daily inspection tasks on aquaculture sites.

Farms require divers to perform inspections where associated costs can be high. Mini-ROVs are revolutionizing the way managers go about their daily operations without hiring divers until it is absolutely necessary. ROVs can perform net inspections, observe fish behaviour and bridge the knowledge gap between employees and what takes place below the surface while simultaneously recording the footage.

The case studies include two Canadian aquaculture companies; Marine Harvest and Aqua-Cage Fisheries to demonstrate the ways that a mini-ROV can improve operation efficiency and reduce costs.

The presentation will focus on Aqua-Cage Fisheries and Marine Harvest to show how farm managers can improve production while reducing costs by using an ROV that ensures proper structure maintenance and can act as a retrieval tool for dropped equipment. The use of mini-ROVs has given managers the ability to teach employees about the underwater aspects of the farm as well as identify and explain any problems to a dive team in cases where divers are needed.