TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An automated fish breeding system developed by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has won a 2021 Future Tech Award given by Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

According to the invention’s introduction, the system saves 60% of manpower and 40% on production costs, and increases the breeding rate of seedlings by 10 times to a steady 3-5% as compared to traditional breeding methods. One major feature of the system is its complete automation in detecting the size of fish fry, water quality, and producing appropriate feed such as algae and food organisms.

By handing the task of analyzing complex data over to an intelligent system and allowing it to make and execute decisions, not only can the intelligent processing platform come up with much better breeding plans and redefine various breeding standards, but provide a solution to the aging and decreasing population of aquaculture workers, per the product info.

Chen Tzong-yueh (陳宗嶽), chair of NCKU’s Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences and head of the interdisciplinary development team, said that traditional fish breeding methods require three to four people to take care of a single breeding farm. However, with the intelligent production system, one person is able to control three to four farms and do so from a phone.

Chen heads an interdisciplinary team consisting of 20 people. (NCKU photo)

Additionally, the intelligent breeding system moves farms indoors, which allows farmers to work in air-conditioned environments. With the learning curve now much less daunting to newcomers, the industry can become more attractive to younger generations, thus ensuring industrial sustainability, said Chen.

Currently, one photoelectric company has signed a deal, while three other companies are in talks to transfer the fish breeding intelligent production system technology, according to NCKU.

MOST’s Future Tech Awards receives submissions from industrial and academic contestants in all disciplines and highlights “scientific breakthrough” and “industrial applicability.” This year, MOST received over 500 submissions, 100 of which were awarded and exhibited at the Taiwan Innotech Expo.

Chen (middle right) accepts the Future Tech Award from Minister of Science and Technology Wu Tsung-tsong (middle left). (Chen Tsong-yueh photo)