Data as the new bait: Scaling digital transformation in the mariculture industry

This teaching case examines AquaTech’s critical decision to overcome the ‘black box’ dilemma of open-ocean aquaculture – a traditional industry reliant on veteran farmers’ tacit knowledge for feed management in highly volatile environments. This subjectivity created severe financial and environmental risks, including costly resource waste and crippling downstream supply chain inefficiencies due to low inventory accuracy. The case details the implementation of an innovative AI system that fuses computer vision, sonar, and IoT sensors to provide real-time, empirical data on fish satiety and biomass. The AI pilot demonstrated decisive operational superiority, leading to a substantial increase in Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) efficiency, which simultaneously drove down feed costs, significantly increased harvest yield, and reduced environmental impact. This digital transformation illustrates the profound potential for traditional industries to solve persistent challenges by adopting new technology.