Project Overview

As global demand for seafood continues to rise, aquaculture has become an essential component of US food security. Many small and medium-scale aquaculture producers rely on floating raceways to raise fish efficiently. However, accurately monitoring fish biomass within these systems remains a challenge. Most producers still depend on manual netting and physical measurements to estimate fish size and stocking density--methods that are time consuming, labor-intensive, and stressful to the fish.

Hydroacoustic technology offers a promising alternative. By using sound waves to detect fish remotely, hydroacoustic systems can estimate biomass without distributing the animals. Fish tissue has a density similar to water, but the air-filled swim bladder creates a strong acoustic reflection, making it possible to detect fish using ultrasonic sound. This technique has been widely applied in lakes, reservoirs, and research-grade aquaculture systems, but existing solutions are often expensive, complex, and not designed for confined raceway environments.

Applying hydroacoustic methods in floating raceways presents unique challenges. Confined spaces increase acoustic interference from raceway walls, the water surface, and schooling behavior. These factors require careful selection of transducer frequency, placement, and signal processing to extract useful data. Additionally, systems must withstand constant exposure to water, dirt, algae, and outdoor conditions while remaining easy to install, maintain, and operate. 

This project focuses on developing a practical hydroacoustic biomass monitoring system tailored specifically for floating raceways used by small-scale aquaculture producers. By prioritizing durability, simplicity, reasonable accuracy, and low cost, the system aims to bridge the gap between research-grade hydroacoustic equipment and the real-world needs of aquaculture operations.