During 2023, for the first time in the last decade, Colombia’s aquaculture production decreased annually, explained by a contraction in fish farming. In this context, the AQUA Sightline mobile application can be an ally to face some of the challenges in the sector, as revealed by the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture.
Data from the Ministry shows that at the end of last year, national aquaculture production in Colombia was represented by 5,121 tons of shrimp and 197,835 tons of fish farming, totaling 202,956 tons of production. However, in 2022, production had reached 204,942 tons.
In addition to the decline in production, there were also economic losses. This was due to the impacts of Streptococcus agalactiae on tilapia farming (which does not affect humans) and the El Niño phenomenon.
According to Laura Toro, a senior consultant and aquaculture specialist at Sightline Systems, in aquaculture, as in all agricultural production, “performance always depends on factors and/or apparent causes that had a direct impact on national production, in this particular case, of Red Tilapia.”
She detailed that factors such as the emergence of diseases, whether viruses, fungi, bacteria, or parasites, changes in physicochemical factors, environmental factors beyond the control of producers, or simply poor management, coupled with not working with biosecurity plans, cause a direct impact on production and export figures.
According to The Ministry of Agriculture, Huila, Tolima, and Cundinamarca were some of the departments where declines in fish farming were apparent. Huila remains the main producer at the national level.
And although the aquaculture sector achieved great successes last year, it also faces challenges such as climate change, disease, productivity declines, rising costs (production costs, implementation of BPPA), and modernization of production systems, among others.
Sightline Systems saw a need to improve these challenges and launched the AQUA Sightline mobile application in the country, as a tool designed precisely to help the aquaculture community.
According to the aquaculture specialist at Aqua Sightline, “there are factors that man, despite his best efforts, cannot control, such as the El Niño and La Niña phenomena. The Aqua Sightline mobile app helps mitigate impacts suffered from these unavoidable natural occurrences that directly affect valuable income streams .”
The AQUA Sightline app began operating this year in Colombia and “allows the producer to maintain strict control over feeding, weight gain, FCA, mortalities, sampling, and water quality. Additionally, it facilitates the daily work of the operator by eliminating paper or hand-recorded daily operation logs, optimizing time and labor. AQUA Sightline is highly versatile in handling and understanding both small and large producers.”
AQUA Sightline is a powerful mobile app that operates even without a constant internet connection, is easy to use, and is already available in stores for Android and iOS devices.
For more information visit: https://www.sightline.com/aquaculture/
Brandon Witte is the CEO of Sightline Systems, a global leader in real-time performance monitoring and analytics software. With nearly two decades at the helm of Sightline, Brandon has driven innovation across industries, recently expanding into aquaculture with the launch of AQUA Sightline.
An experienced executive with a Bachelor of Science in Management Science from Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business, Brandon’s career spans expertise in enterprise software, IT strategy, and professional services.
Under Brandon’s leadership, Sightline has established a reputation for delivering actionable insights through advanced analytics, empowering businesses to optimize operations for higher profit margins and more successful day-to-day operations.