A tech-focused start-up in Ningbo is the latest in China showing the potential of big data and artificial intelligence to modernize the country’s aquaculture sector.
An imaging system for counting fish in aquaculture ponds, developed by Ningbo Zhizhe Information Technology Co. (the word Zhizhe stands for intelligence equipment or information tools), can calculate a fish count in five seconds, according to company CEO Wu Zhengguan.
The “Zhi Zhe” device patented by Zhizhe – it looks like a traditional film camera mounted on a crane, connected to a laptop – can accurately count hundreds to thousands of fish within five seconds.
According to Wu, the devices allow farmers to tailor their feed applications to save on waste and maximize fish growth. The machines have also been adapted for other purposes – including for use by tax authorities in Zhejiang Province.
Ningbo Zhizhe is affiliated with The China Intelligent Fisheries Association, which was set up recently as a sub-group of the China Fisheries Association (CFA) to bring data specialists and fishing companies together with the government in harnessing data to improve management in both wild-catch and farmed fisheries.
