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EUROSTARS-EUROSTARS

E!114944 AutoHatch. Det første automatiserte hummerklekkeriet som kan møte etterspørselen etter høykvalitets hummeryngel og porsjonshummer

Alternative title: E!114944 AutoHatch. The first ever automated hatchery solution to meet demand for high quality European Lobster.

Awarded: NOK 5.8 mill.

Project Manager:

Project Number:

323717

Project Period:

2021 - 2023

Funding received from:

Partner countries:

We have successfully developed and tested automatic and robotizised solutions for counting, image processing and grading of different sized juveniles. The solutions are based on AI, Computer Vision System (CVS) and we have met all deliverables set in project. These solutions support our need to monitor egg development, hatching success, the normal distribution curve (bell-curve), and total survival based on accurate counting of larveas hatched. We have also developed and testet various cameras with capacities of up to 50 milliseconds to facilitate an effective grading of larveas. Moreover, we have developed an insertion robot which automatically puts 1 stage IV larvae into 1 cage with industrial capacities. In addition, 2 different larval diets have been developed and tested for early life stages which has given up to 50% survival up to stage 4. However, these will need further R&D to bring into commercial scale.

The AutoHatch project has achieved significant progress towards supplying a year-round fully automatic production of high-quality IV stage larvaes. Further it strengthen our requirements for commercial capacities of benthic larvaes into our commercial production of plate-sized lobsters. This will reduce the fishing pressure of the near depleted wild stock and represents an alternative source to meet the ever growing demand in the market for European lobster. By increasing yield and survival of hatchery reared juveniles, we will directly contribute to reduce our need to fish wild breeders, in addition to our self-imposed requirement to release larvaes back into the wil to support wild stocks.

AutoHatch builds on the ongoing H2020-funded AutoMarus led by NLF, in collaboration with ECS and the Eurostars Devaela project. Each project has a unique focus: AutoMarus concerns maturing single-caged EL beyond J-IV, based on Devaela R&D (2016-17). AutoHatch concerns automation ZL hatcheries in the stages up until J-IV. A fibreglass shelf “superstructure” to be shared between cages and incubators has already been prototyped for operational flexibility. AutoHatch takes a multidisciplinary approach to solving the challenges inherent in the project. The challenges include ZL biology, ICT, automation engineering and internal hatchery logistics within and between incubators, incl. transfer to single-cages. We start out by confirming the survival and growth rates of ZL through the incubator water flow and the feed composition. Significantly improving the survival (5%->20%) and growth rate (J-IV maturation in 15 days from 21 days today) are among the goals for commercial success of AutoHatch. Survival and growth rates will be improved by: A) Enabling timely and accurate feeding of the ZL incubator batch. B) Implementing timely and accurate sorting of J-IVs. Both depend on developing the EL-specific automation and CVS. C) Implementing an in-depth mapping of J-III and by novel feed composition to achieve continuously improved survival and growth rates.

Funding scheme:

EUROSTARS-EUROSTARS