Smart aquaculture: What technologies is Israel using?

Aquaculture industry accelerates smart technology adoption

On the afternoon of August 25, the International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS) under the Viet Nam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS), in coordination with the Israel Economic and Trade Mission to Viet Nam, organized an online workshop titled “Aquaculture Technology: From Farms to Premium Export Markets.”

Chen Peretz, Head of Israel's Economic and Trade Mission to Viet Nam, said Israel hopes to introduce Viet Nam to advanced aquaculture technologies and solutions while strengthening connections between businesses from the two countries. At the same time, Israel also seeks to learn from Viet Nam’s experience as one of the countries with a well-developed fisheries sector, particularly in aquaculture, seafood processing, and exports.

Mr. Dinh Xuan Lap, Deputy Director of ICAFIS, said that in 2025, Viet Nam’s total aquaculture area reached approximately 1.32 million hectares, with total production at around 5.79 million tons. Of this, brackish-water aquaculture accounted for 936,700 hectares, freshwater aquaculture 389,800 hectares, and marine mollusk farming 59,200 hectares.

For brackish-water shrimp alone, the farming area in 2025 was approximately 750,000 hectares, including 625,000 hectares of black tiger shrimp and 125,000 hectares of whiteleg shrimp, with total production reaching 1.29 million tons. Shrimp exports generated USD 4.65 billion, up 19.9%.

For pangasius, the farming area serving export markets in 2025 was approximately 5,600 hectares, with production reaching 1.74 million tons.

According to Lap, alongside its large production scale, Viet Nam’s aquaculture industry is increasingly adopting smart technologies, including electronic farm logs, remote monitoring and early-warning systems, traceability, automated equipment control, smart feeding machines, and environmental monitoring. Monitoring systems can update water-quality parameters every five minutes, while a smart aeration system presented at the workshop was said to be capable of reducing electricity costs by more than 70%, helping lower production costs and improve efficiency.

Israeli technologies enable comprehensive management from hatcheries to harvest, including land-based marine fish farming...

Israel is regarded as one of the leading countries in applying advanced technologies to agriculture and fisheries, particularly recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), artificial intelligence (AI), and biotechnology. These technologies enable fish and shrimp to be farmed under challenging conditions while optimizing resource use.

At the workshop, Israeli companies introduced a range of technological solutions designed to address specific challenges in aquaculture, from farm management and precision feeding to recirculating systems and disease control.

For example, GoSmart Precision Farming has developed an AI-powered aquaculture management system that enables farmers to monitor fish stocks and make data-driven decisions. The solution integrates cameras for biomass estimation, sensors for measuring dissolved oxygen and temperature, a control unit, and an online software platform. The system can be deployed for multiple fish species and across various production models, including ponds, cages, and RAS facilities.

Underwater data is continuously collected and analyzed to estimate fish weight, monitor biomass, assess environmental conditions, and recommend appropriate feed amounts. By delivering the right amount of feed at the right time, GoSmart aims to reduce overfeeding, improve the feed conversion ratio (FCR), lower feed costs, and limit the amount of organic waste released into the environment. Real-time data also helps businesses forecast production and proactively plan harvesting and sales.

Meanwhile, Pure Blue Fish has developed a land-based marine fish farming model using a proprietary zero-water-discharge (ZWD) recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The system replicates the natural biological processes of the ocean to recirculate all water and nutrients, allowing marine fish farms to be established without relying on coastal locations. The farming environment is controlled to produce fish of consistent quality, free from exposure to microplastics and heavy metals, while the company aims to produce the fish without antibiotics.

Unlike traditional marine farming models, Pure Blue Fish’s solution enables businesses to control water quality, biosecurity, nutrition, and harvest timing within a closed environment. Fish can be produced year-round, with the entire farming and harvesting process traceable according to market demand. Locating farms close to major consumption centers also helps shorten the cold chain, reduce transportation time, and deliver fresh marine fish to customers.

Meanwhile, AquaManager provides a comprehensive management platform covering the entire production process, from hatcheries to harvest. The system consolidates data on stocking, feed, growth, biomass, survival rates, water quality, inventory, and costs on a single platform. The solution supports both fish and shrimp farming and works with ponds, land-based tanks, marine cages, and RAS facilities.

Farm staff can enter daily data via computers or mobile apps, while data from sensors, cameras, feeding equipment, and Internet of Things (IoT) systems can also be integrated. Planning and reporting tools, data visualization, business intelligence (BI), advanced analytics, and alerts help managers identify early deviations in growth, feed consumption, mortality rates, or environmental conditions. The platform also supports cost calculations by batch, location, species, and kilogram of product, as well as integration with enterprise management systems such as SAP and Microsoft Dynamics.

Meanwhile, ViAqua Therapeutics has developed a platform that provides RNA (ribonucleic acid)-based solutions administered through feed to support health management in aquaculture. The company’s first product is a feed additive for shrimp, designed to improve resistance to viral diseases, particularly white spot syndrome virus (WSSV).

RNA interference (RNAi) is a non-genetically modified material that contains no hormones or antibiotics and is designed for use in feed. One major challenge with RNA is that it can be easily degraded in water and the digestive system. ViAqua uses a microencapsulation technology to protect RNA in aquatic environments, helping the active ingredient overcome digestive barriers and reach the intended site after shrimp consume the feed.

The company said laboratory challenge tests conducted at certified facilities showed a significant improvement in survival rates against WSSV. The platform is also being studied for other viruses, shellfish, and fish species. White spot disease is one of the most serious risks facing Viet Nam’s shrimp industry, making ViAqua’s technology directly relevant to hatcheries, intensive shrimp farms, feed manufacturers, and seafood processors with linked farming areas. Delivery through feed offers the advantage of being scalable and does not require treating individual animals.

Israeli solutions show that the future of aquaculture lies not only in increasing production, but also in precisely controlling inputs, reducing environmental impacts, and creating greater value.