🐟 Aquaculture · Autonomous Feeding Optimization
Salmon Feeding Optimization in Real Time: a 0.05 FCR Improvement Worth USD 17M a Year
From Static Feeding Tables to Real-Time Precision — USD $17M Annual Savings per 0.05 FCR Improvement
50,400 autonomous feeding decisions per day. 6 agents. Episodic memory. Payback in <1 week.
Solution design · numbers modeled on the operation described
Feed is 45–50% of total production cost. We apply fixed feeding tables even when oxygen drops, temperature spikes, or fish are stressed. Every suboptimal decision — made manually, 50,000 times a day — burns money we can't recover.
// the problem
Feed represents 45–50% of total aquaculture production cost. AquaChile consumes ~435,000 tons of feed per year to produce 282,903 tons of salmon. Operators apply static feeding tables even when O₂ drops, temperature spikes 2°C, or fish exhibit stress behavior — resulting in overfeeding (pellets sinking to the fjord floor) or underfeeding (elevated FCR, lost biomass). Operators must simultaneously process 8+ real-time variables per cage: temperature, O₂, CO₂, salinity, estimated biomass (cameras), fish behavior, pellet size, stocking density, health status, and sea lice presence. No static table captures this dynamic complexity. A single moderate hypoxia event caused $3.6M in biomass losses at a competing operation.
// what CLU does
CLU deploys AquaOps: a 6-agent system running on a continuous 30-minute cycle per cage, 24/7. Env Monitor Agent reads all IoT sensors and detects environmental degradation trends; Vision Agent analyzes underwater camera footage to classify fish appetite; Memory Agent queries episodic memory for the optimal dose under similar historical conditions; SAP Executor verifies live feed inventory via RFID; AquaOps Brain calculates the optimal dose and frequency crossing all variables; Feed Executor sends the command to the remote feeder via 5G/Starlink and logs the result in SAP. For hypoxia events (O₂ <7 mg/L), feeding suspends immediately and a HITL WhatsApp alert reaches the center manager within 1 minute.
// the agents, in order
- 1Env Monitor AgentReads O₂, temperature, CO₂, and salinity sensors every 15 min per cage — detects degradation trends, triggers hypoxia protocol instantly if O₂ <7 mg/L
- 2Vision AgentProcesses underwater camera frames every 30 min — classifies fish appetite as GOOD (surface), MODERATE (mid-water), or LOW (bottom, lethargic) using computer vision
- 3Memory AgentQueries episodic memory for similar past conditions (±1°C, ±0.5 mg/L O₂) at this center and time of year — extracts dose that achieved the best FCR. Updates weekly with actual FCR data
- 4SAP ExecutorReads live feed inventory via RFID (maxisaco bags) — confirms pellet type and size on pontoon. Alerts central warehouse automatically if stock falls below 48-hour threshold
- 5AquaOps BrainCalculates optimal dose crossing all variables — never exceeds base table +10% without human HITL approval. Outputs dose and frequency per cage for immediate execution
- 6Feed ExecutorSends feeding command via 5G/Starlink to remote feeder — confirms execution, logs actual dose and timestamp in SAP S/4HANA for FCR tracking
// systems it talks to
- IoT Sensors (O₂/Temp/CO₂/Salinity)
- Underwater Cameras (5G/Starlink)
- SAP S/4HANA (MM/PP)
- RFID Feed Stock (Maxisacos)
- Remote Feeding System API
- WhatsApp Business API
// the economics
USD $17M annual savings (conservative) · 944× ROI vs. plan cost · <1 week payback on annual subscription
// CLU · the agent factory
Is your operation like this one?
Describe it in your own words on the home page. CLU draws your process as an operation map, with the agents, the systems and an estimate for your volume.
// more cases in Aquaculture
- Sernapesca SIFA Mortality Reporting Automated from SAP for 70 Salmon Farming Centers95% of daily reports automated. $100K/year saved. Critical mortality events notified in <5 min.