Aquaculture Startups Leverage AI to Boost Global Seafood Production Across Canada and Singapore

Aquaculture Startups Leverage AI to Boost Global Seafood Production Across Canada and Singapore

More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on wild-caught and farmed seafood for their protein intake. According to a recent report, global aquaculture production has reached a new record, with 89% of aquatic animal production used for direct human consumption. This trend indicates a rising global consumption of aquatic foods. In response, aquaculture startups are increasingly using AI technology to help farmers improve production and sustainability.

Canada-based startup Wittaya Aqua is at the forefront of this movement. Its data-driven platform helps seafood farmers consolidate data across the supply chain to enhance profitability, sustainability, and efficiency. Having raised $2.8 million in a seed round, Wittaya Aqua aims to further develop its platform and expand into Asia, the largest aquaculture-producing region, after its entry into Singapore in 2023.

Wittaya Aqua’s platform leverages AI and machine learning to enhance science-based models, forecast animal growth, and recommend optimal feed types and quantities based on real-time data. This approach helps farmers maximize yields by analyzing historical data and environmental factors to suggest the best strategies.

Image credit: Wittaya Aqua

Evan Hall, Wittaya Aqua’s co-founder and CEO, along with Dominique Bureau, a professor of animal nutrition and aquaculture, founded the startup in 2017 to address inefficiencies in the industry. Hall, a wildlife conservation photographer and former fisheries biologist, saw firsthand the challenges of fragmented and slow-moving data in aquaculture. The platform consolidates data from various points in the supply chain, providing transparency and actionable insights to users at every level.

Wittaya Aqua's users include ingredient suppliers, feed mills, and farmers, with clients such as BioMar, De Heus, and AquaChile. The startup is in the revenue-generation stage and distinguishes itself from competitors like Fieldin and eFishery by combining nutritional information with field performance. This allows modeling the impacts of different feed ingredients on animal performance across various species and geographies.

The global aquaculture market is projected to grow to $355.6 billion by 2033, up from $299 billion in 2023, according to Precedence Research. To further support farmers, Wittaya Aqua plans to reduce perceived credit or insurance risks related to production mortality and match users with lenders and insurers offering customized financial products.

Currently, Wittaya Aqua has 16 staff members based in Canada and Singapore, and it aims to continue expanding its innovative solutions to support the growing aquaculture industry worldwide.