{"id":18767,"date":"2016-11-18T18:02:02","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T23:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fishing-for-fish-data-digitizing-aquaculture\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T18:02:02","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T23:02:02","slug":"fishing-for-fish-data-digitizing-aquaculture","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/fishing-for-fish-data-digitizing-aquaculture\/","title":{"rendered":"Fishing for Fish Data: Digitizing Aquaculture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seafood Supply Chain Risk<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you know how your fish is produced? In 2016,\u00a0the\u00a0AP published an investigative report on how seafood produced with slave labor in Indonesia ended up in the U.S. [1]. Because of this investigation, P&G, Nestle, Purina, Costco, and other companies were slapped with class-action lawsuits [2].\u00a0Retailers must source legal and ethical seafood, all while keeping costs low and quality high. In addition, 67% of U.S. consumers now “want to know that their fish can be traced back to a known and trusted source [3]. High demand for seafood has led to serious overfishing. If the current situation does not change, some scientists predict populations of fish species we currently consume will collapse in 30 years [4]. Kampachi Farms aims to change that by using digital technology such as automated feeders, ocean current mapping, sensors, and GPS tracking to ethically farm better quality fish at lower costs and with less environmental impact [5].<\/p>\n

\"2050chart\"\"diminishingreturns\"<\/p>\n

Traditional Ocean Fish Sources<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ocean fish generally come from commercial fisheries or fish farms. As wild fish stocks became depleted, aquaculture\u2019s popularity grew. For many species now produced through aquaculture, farmed production is substantially higher than the highest catch ever recorded [6]. However, the crowded and dirty conditions of many fish farms cause disease to spread quickly from one pen to the next and create pollution from high concentrations of fish waste. Farmers combat this with heavy use of antibiotics. Fish farming operations are located close to shore for easier access when feeding, monitoring, and harvesting fish. These waters are also gentler on equipment compared to the open ocean [7]. Rapid growth in ocean aquaculture, heavy antibiotics use, and pollution have caused environmental damage to sensitive marine habitats and raised questions about the sustainability of aquaculture [8]. Without an alternative approach to producing fish, quality will decrease and costs will rise as demand far outstrips supply.<\/p>\n

Kampachi uses digital technology to tackle some of the issues around aquaculture and help increase supply. As technology advances, Kampachi seeks to innovate new ways to reduce the cost to produce fish. By creating more sustainable production methods, Kampachi can also help ensure fish stocks remain stable, keeping long term costs of fish down. How will Kampachi accomplish this?<\/p>\n