Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project aligns with nifa…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** this project aligns with nifa research priorities for better integrated aquatic animal health, more efficient production, and reduced environmental impacts. IT leverages leadership in AI-based phenotyping (RADMANTIS), with expertise in commercial RAS (LOCALCOHO), to advance a new generation of biometrically-enabled fish assessment for bluehouse salmon farming. Effective operational practice in aquaculture requires access to timely and accurate information on growth trajectories, injury, and emergence of production-related pathologies. Whereas aggregated population parameters are of some value, a far superior monitoring system would be one with the ability to track phenotypic presentation of individual fish, both reliably and continuously over time. To achieve this goal, we are partnering with AMD's AI/robotics division to bring cutting edge, hardware-accelerated imaging capabilities to bear on use cases in uncrewed aquaculture management. This proposal outlines a set of aims that examine to what extent a system integrating high-resolution imaging, hyperspectral visualization, and biometric identifiers, can recognize unique individuals within a large population of unmarked and freely moving animals. The first stage of technology testing will be carried out in collaboration with the freshwater institute, a USDA-funded research facility for precision aquaculture. Following successful proof of concept at research scale, the technological innovation will be translationally tested at enterprise scale. A successful product would launch into a rapidly expanding market for domestic seafood production. The contribution of such next-GEN aquaculture to a climate neutral, circular, and sustainable food system, is of an economic and social value that can hardly be overstated in an increasingly hungry world.