Paneaus monodon (Black Tiger) used in CSIRO's prawn feeding research program.
Improving prawn feeding efficiency
CSIRO is developing automated sensors and software to assist the prawn aquaculture industry.
- 27 July 2011 | Updated 14 October 2011
The two major costs for prawn farms in Australia are feed pellets and labour. These overlap when it comes to measuring how much food the prawns are eating because current techniques are manual and therefore labour intensive.
Another significant challenge for prawn farmers is in gauging the size of their crops.
Current activities
Through the Food Futures Flagship, CSIRO's experts in information and communication technologies (ICT) are developing automated sensors that accurately measure the feed consumed and the number of prawns.
CSIRO has developed a submersible sensor containing a digital camera that records images of the surface of the tray in which prawn feed is placed.
The images are processed by computer and advanced processing algorithms are being developed to extract information, such as how much food has been eaten, from the images.
We are also developing an acoustic sensor to help determine how many prawns are in a pond.
Next stages of this project include:
- evaluating the performance of the imaging unit against existing manual methods
- evaluating the performance of the biomass sensor in commercial ponds.
Outcomes
The combined impact of CSIRO's prawn projects is expected to double the value of the Australian prawn industry by 2020.
Sensors that provide continuous information about feed consumption in prawn ponds will:
- reduce overfeeding of farmed prawns
- reduce nutrient levels in farm effluent, reducing the environmental impact of prawn farming
- provide better information on the feeding efficiency of farmed prawns
- improve the health of farmed prawns and reduce the use of antibiotics in countries that permit their use (antibiotics are not used routinely in Australian aquaculture)
- enable better selection of brood stock for breed engineering.
Biomass sensors will:
- enable farmers to optimise their harvest
- help ensure healthy prawns by ensuring optimal stocking.
Partners
Our commercial partner is AQ1 Systems.
Hear more in What is the sound of one prawn eating? (Podcast 2 Sep 09).
