The Use of Sensors for Monitoring the Feeding Process and Adjusting the Feed Supply Velocity in Fish Farms

Abstract

Aquaculture is a growing industry, and its sustainability is crucial. One of its major environmental impacts is the uneaten feed that pollutes the water. To minimize the uneaten feed, many systems have been developed. Nevertheless, current systems can be improved by considering the fish position in the tank and the falling feed. In this paper, we propose a system based on fish presence sensors set at different tank heights and a feed detection sensor located in the drainage tubes. The fish presence sensor is based on light-dependent resistor (LDR). The calibration of these sensors is shown. When the output voltage is higher than 1.467 V, we can consider that fish are present. On the other side, the falling feed sensor is based on a CMOS sensor. The calibration process is performed with 40 pictures. The summation of pixels, with brightness value between 0 and 15 in the blue histogram, is used as an indicator of feed presence. If this value is higher than 520 pixels, we can consider that there is feed in the picture. Moreover, a verification process of both sensors is done. The results of the verification confirm the calibration. Finally, the operation of the system is shown.