Mowi and TidalX AI have announced the two companies are expanding their collaboration into Mowi Genetics to enhance the salmon-farming company’s breeding program.
TidalX AI began as a project at X, the moonshot factory – a project of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Initially called Project Tidal and later Tidal, the company launched as an independent aquaculture company in 2024 and has been working with Mowi since the project’s inception.
Tidal’s existing work with Mowi includes all-in-one counting systems using AI-powered software that automates lice counting, welfare monitoring, biomass estimation, and feeding by interpreting data from underwater sensing systems. The two companies said the latest collaboration will expand that tracking technology into Mowi’s genetics program, allowing the company to track individual fish without needing to use physical tags.
"Tidal has already become a highly valued partner in Mowi’s day-to-day farming operations, delivering higher-resolution monitoring of sea lice counts and biomass, along with novel phenotypes linked to fish health and welfare,” Mowi Genetics Genetics Manager Matt Baranski said in a release. “It is a natural evolution to now bring that capability into our genetics program.
TidalX AI said the tracking will allow Mowi Genetics to gain continuous data on metrics like growth, disease resistance, and welfare without disrupting fish. The data will then allow Mowi Genetics to create more accurate phenotypes for breeding candidates and create better broodstock for new generations of salmon at its salmon farms.
“Shifting from pen-level monitoring to understanding individual fish could significantly improve selection decisions, enabling the next generation to be chosen using continuous, real-world performance data,” Baranski said.
TidalX AI Chief Product Officer Rochak Sharma said the new collaboration is a part of the company’s goal to expand its product beyond just farm monitoring and into the entire value chain.
“This AI technology will not only provide us more precise biomass estimates but also allow for limiting individual exposure during in-pen lice treatments,” Sharma said. “Bringing the same AI into genetics can create significant gains for breeding programs. By directly linking farm-level performance to biological design, Tidal’s AI is unlocking the next level of gains in efficiency and sustainability for salmon farming. "
