More than 3 billion people worldwide rely on wild-caught and farmed seafood for their protein intake. According to a report released last week, global aquaculture production has hit a new record, with 89% of all aquatic animal production being used for direct human consumption. This shows that global consumption of aquatic food continues to grow. So aquaculture startups are using AI technologies to help farmers improve production and sustainability.
Among them is Wittaya Aqua, a Canadian-based startup whose data-driven platform enables seafood farmers to integrate existing data points across the seafood supply chain to drive greater profitability, sustainability, and efficiency. The startup has raised $2.8 million in a seed round to further develop its feed-to-farm platform and expand into Asia, the largest aquaculture production region, after launching in Singapore in 2023.
“While we were initially founded in Canada, our vision is global and Asia is a key part of the equation. … The (Asian) region is a global leader in aquaculture production and contributes a significant portion of the world’s seafood,” Evan Hall, co-founder and CEO of Wittaya Aqua, told TechCrunch. “Southeast Asia boasts high production, but there is tremendous potential for further growth through data-driven practices.”
Although many countries use aquaculture, a few countries dominate the industry, including China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and South Korea, which are the top five aquaculture producers.
The startup’s platform uses AI and machine learning to improve science-based models, predict animal growth (predictive analytics), and recommend optimal feed types and quantities based on real-time data and growth predictions. Machine learning algorithms analyze historical data and environmental factors to suggest strategies to maximize crop yields.
Hall, a wildlife conservation photographer, and Dominic Bureau, a professor of animal nutrition and aquaculture at the University of Guelph, co-founded Wittaya Aqua in 2017 after seeing the inefficiencies and challenges of siloed data in the industry. Hall also says he knew firsthand the painful process of copying field notes into Excel to analyze data as a fish biologist.
Hall said aquaculture data has traditionally been fragmented and slow, hindering informed decision-making. Wittaya Aqua aims to solve this problem by consolidating data from various points in the supply chain, including farmers, feed mills and ingredient suppliers, into a single, central platform. Transparency across the value chain provides users with data and insights that help them make better decisions at every level, according to the company’s CEO.
“With this integrated view, we can build robust, science-based models that deliver actionable insights to stakeholders,” Hall said. “For example, farmers can see how their feed choices directly impact growth rates and compare performance to industry benchmarks. Similarly, feed mills can analyze the performance of their feeds across multiple farms to improve feeding strategies to meet specific customer requirements.”
Users include material suppliers, feed mills and farmers. The startup is in the revenue-generating stage and says it has secured some customers, including BioMar, De Heus, Uni-President, US Soybean Export Council, Soy Aquaculture Alliance, Temasek Lifesciences Laboratory and AquaChile.
According to a report by Precedence Research, the global aquaculture market size is expected to increase from USD 299 billion in 2023 to USD 355.6 billion by 2033.
The company competes with farm management solution providers such as Fieldin, Taranis, eFishery, Victory Farms, Atarraya and AquaEasy. What sets Wittaya apart from its competitors is that its platform combines nutritional information with field performance. That means the company can model the impact of different feed ingredients on animal performance, which is unique, Hall said. Additionally, unlike most companies that focus on a single species and a single region, Wittaya works with multiple species across multiple geographies, from mainstream commercial species like salmon, shrimp, tilapia and pangasius to niche species like grouper and snapper.
In the long term, Wittaya plans to pursue a two-pronged approach to ushering in a new era of financial stability for farmers. First, it aims to provide robust data and insights to reduce perceived credit or insurance risks associated with production mortality. Second, it aims to match users with lenders and insurers who can offer them tailored financial products, Hall said.
The company has 16 employees in Canada and Singapore.
