Aquabio 1.0 – Real-time decision and planning support for salmon and trout farming

About the project

Aquabio 1.0 developed real-time decision support for optimal production management in salmon and trout farming using acoustic monitoring and machine learning.

Project period: January 2021 – December 2023

Status: Completed

Background

Norwegian aquaculture lacked tools to monitor fish behavior in real time in a cost-effective way. Existing camera solutions are limited by visibility, light, and biofouling, while traditional echo sounders give imprecise results in net pens.

Solution

The project developed Waive's core technology: an AI-based decision support system using broadband acoustic technology that:

Monitors fish behavior in real time, independent of light and weather conditions
Estimates biomass and swimming depth throughout the production cycle
Detects early signs of stress, disease, or abnormal behavior
Provides objective data to support decisions on feeding, handling, and production planning

Results

Aquabio 1.0 laid the foundation for Waive's commercial product and delivered:

Validated sonar technology for net pen monitoring
AI models for behavioral analysis and biomass estimation
Integration with feeding systems and farm management platforms
A scalable solution tested by multiple aquaculture companies

Impact

The project established the technological foundation for Waive's solution, which is now used commercially by several of Norway's largest aquaculture producers.

Innovation Norway project: The origins of Waive

This project marked the beginning of Waive’s technology platform. With support from Innovation Norway, Aquabio AS (now Waive AS) developed the first real-time production and planning tool for salmon farming based on iXblue’s SeapiX 3D multibeam sonar.

The project received NOK 4 million in grants from Innovation Norway, with a total budget of NOK 9.27 million. The ambition was to achieve real-time measurements with less than 1% deviation on biomass, weight distribution, fish counting and feed pellet counting — all from a single sonar.

Why this project?

Accurate biomass knowledge per pen is critical to profitability in aquaculture. Before this project, the industry mainly relied on:

Manual counting
Optical camera solutions with limited range
Simple echo sounders covering only parts of the pen

Aquabio identified an opportunity to apply cross-over technology from fisheries and research. iXblue’s SeapiX — a 3D multibeam sonar originally developed for marine research — offered capabilities far beyond existing aquaculture tools. By developing proprietary acoustic processing algorithms, Aquabio specialised this sonar for salmon and trout.

The result: a continuous, full-coverage 3D view of all fish in the pen in real time.

What did we develop?

The project consisted of four main activities that together formed the foundation for today’s Waive platform.

Activity 1 — Data collection

Carried out by: SINTEF ACE, with Aquabio as project leader

The SeapiX sonar was deployed in three different pens at various angles and depths to collect the acoustic data needed. It was tested in three configurations:

Outside the pen at an angle
From the side at approximately 15 m depth
From the centre of the pen looking upwards

These configurations provided the data foundation for developing specialised algorithms.

Activity 2 — Acoustic processing

Carried out by: Fiskaaling (Faroe Islands) and Université Grenoble Alpes, with support from iXblue

This was the core R&D activity: developing recognition patterns and target strength (TS) algorithms for both fish and feed pellets. The team included leading experts in multiple diffusion acoustics.

Counting feed pellets was the greatest challenge, with acoustic reflections of only -70 to -75 dB — far weaker than biomass and physical installations.

Activity 3 — Bridge software and 3D user dashboard

Carried out by: Aquabio

Aquabio built the link between acoustic processing and the end user:

Bridge software to handle data flow
A dashboard showing biomass, weight distribution, counting and a live 3D model of all fish in real time

The dashboard was developed in close collaboration with fish farmers such as Bremnes Seashore to ensure relevance for daily operations.

Activity 4 — Verification and long-term testing

Carried out by: SINTEF ACE with Aquabio

The system was deployed over time so the algorithms could learn and improve, for example by:

Tracking salmon growth against harvest weight
Gradually correcting and tuning the system

Other sensors, such as cameras, were used to verify measurements. SINTEF ACE also explored how behavioural patterns in the 3D model could indicate disease and stress.

Innovation at international level

The project delivered several world firsts:

Real-time measurement of all fish in the entire pen, not just a subset
Live 3D model of all salmon and trout in real time
Weight distribution, fish counting and feed pellet counting targeting 99% accuracy
Escape alarm based on detection of fish outside the pen
All parameters combined in one integrated system, in contrast to the industry’s fragmented solutions

Expected benefits

For the industry

Optimised feeding and reduced feed waste
Better sales planning through accurate weight distribution
Early detection of escapes
Deeper insight into fish health and behaviour

For the environment

Less feed waste and reduced nutrient emissions
Lower risk of eutrophication
Improved biomass control and reduced seabed impact
Early escape detection, reducing genetic mixing with wild fish

For Waive

This project laid the foundation for Waive’s entire technology platform. The algorithms, 3D model and user dashboard developed here are still the core of the product delivered to fish farmers today, now refined through years of research and commercial operations.

Project organisation

Aquabio AS (now Waive AS) — project owner, acoustic processing and dashboard
SINTEF ACE — data collection, verification and behavioural studies
iXblue (now Exail) — hardware and acoustic expertise
Fiskaaling (Faroe Islands) — acoustic processing
Université Grenoble Alpes — acoustic processing and multiple diffusion
Bremnes Seashore — pilot customer and user insights

Budget

Total project budget: NOK 9,273,750
Innovation Norway grant: NOK 4,000,000
Self-funding (Aquabio): remainder of the budget