Puerto Montt, Chile-based aquaculture consultancy firm Aquabench has launched a new web platform called “Salmobench Digital.”
The platform condenses PDF and Excel reports into a digital platform that features interactive filters, visualizations, and direct downloads, according to a release by the company. Additionally, it combines information modules about production cycles from reports generated by Aquabench starting at the saltwater grow-out phase.
"This platform empowers customers to proactively manage their information needs,” Aquabench Development Manager Rodrigo Esquivel said. “Instead of requesting specific reports, users can log in directly whenever needed. They can explore historical data, filter by time periods, regions, and variables, and export the data to Excel for their own analysis. This change aims to achieve greater speed, traceability, and reliability in the use of information, reducing manual intervention and standardizing internal data validation processes, which will help improve the decision-making process.”
Website data is broken into two sections – “Benchmarking” and “Industry Information.” Under “Benchmarking,” salmon producers can submit their data to gain access to the platform’s information on Chilean Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, and coho salmon. The system currently has 17 participating companies.
“Each company knows its own codes but not those of others,” Esquivel said. “This keeps the participants' identities secret and stops sensitive information from being shared, which is an important part of the Aquabench and antitrust attorneys' strategy, as well as the model's approval."
The “Industry Information” section provides information for producers, suppliers, financial institutions, and entities working with key production and health data. There are 20 different data sections, including but not limited to number of smolts stocked, weight of stocked smolt, harvested smolts, initial and final harvested biomass, and stocking and harvest weights, the release said. Users can filter by region, geographic area, and time period.
"Suppliers and other stakeholders can find in this module a consolidated and reliable source for understanding the sector's production dynamics, without having to integrate multiple scattered sources,” Esquivel said.
The software is still being enhanced, and Aquabench said the company is adding a new system that can incorporate feed consumption, number of active families, and closed-loop production indicators. This will help provide information on export volumes, destinations, and product types.
"The report design, the method of aggregation, and the available levels of disaggregation have been reviewed and validated by lawyers specializing in free competition, with the aim of ensuring that market regulations are not violated and that the exchange of sensitive information between competitors is not facilitated," Esquivel said. “For Aquabench, this legal backing is a pivotal factor in providing peace of mind to both producers and external users of the platform.”
