Automated maturation scoring improves welfare

Instead of dissecting 200 salmon per site, Icelandic farmers can now use the Aquabyte system to collect and report maturation scores without stressing, manually handling, or killing the fish. This marks a significant milestone for the Icelandic aquaculture industry – and a major win for fish welfare.

MAST’s approval of our non-invasive, image-based method for assessing sexual maturation in farmed salmon represents the world’s first internationally approved, fully automated animal welfare indicator based solely on data collection through computer vision and artificial intelligence.

Per Erik Hansen, Aquabyte

- This milestone marks a significant step forward in the digital transformation of aquaculture and fish welfare monitoring. It demonstrates how regulatory authorities, industry, and technology providers can work together to drive real impact

Per Erik Hansen

Director of Regulatory & External Affairs at Aquabyte

Mandatory reporting of maturation

As part of efforts to prevent farmed salmon from mixing with wild populations, Icelandic regulations require fish farmers to monitor the sexual maturation of their fish. Previously, this involved invasive sampling and manual reporting. With Aquabyte’s newly approved automated method, Icelandic producers will now have access to a standardized reporting module directly within the Aquabyte User Portal - enabling site-specific, regulatory-grade documentation without harming the fish.

Photo of Karls Steinar Oskarsson at MAST

Karl Steinar Oskarsson, MAST

– With this new tool, fish farming companies no longer need to dissect 200 fish at each site to assess the maturation stage of the salmon. The process is now entirely image-based and allows companies to meet regulatory requirements without harming or stressing the fish. This benefits fish welfare and makes it easier to prevent sexual maturation of farmed salmon in sea pens - an important objective.

Karl Steinar Óskarsson

Head of the Aquaculture Department at the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST)

Developed in cooperation with Arctic Fish

The development and validation of the method were carried out in close collaboration with Arctic Fish, who made their harvest facility in Bolungarvík available for the project.

– We’re very thankful to Arctic Fish for their support and willingness to make this possible. Their commitment throughout the process, both in providing access and sharing valuable input, has been instrumental in reaching this important milestone, says Kamilla Svindseth, Aquabyte’s Senior Sales Manager for Iceland.

Photo of John Gunnar Grindskar at Arctic Fish

Jan Gunnar Grindskar, Arctic Fish

– This is an important step forward, and the outcome of the development and validation process conducted at our site in Bolungarvik has been very positive. This new method of automated maturation scoring delivers deeper insight in a way that benefits everyone - from fish farmers and regulators to the fish themselves. It’s about using better data to make better decisions.

John Gunnar Grindskar

COO Farming at Arctic Fish

Aquabytes automatiserte metode for beregning av kjønnsmodning er nå tilgjengelig for islandske oppdrettere – og tilbyr en presis, effektiv og velferdsfokusert løsning for å møte myndighetskravene uten behov for dødelig manuell prøvetaking.