Technology Will Always Bring Benefits in Fish Farming

“Technology will always bring benefits in fish farming”.

Mr. Garcia, tell us, why did Sightline Systems come to Colombia and how has it been going? 

Sightline came to Colombia due to the fish farming development that the country is having in terms of exports to new markets and because we know that the sector needs a technological boost to make it more competitive internationally: and that is what we are betting on through our mobile application AQUA Sightline. We have done well; we know that there is a cultural gap in technological issues in the market, we understand that the sector, not being so developed, has many challenges in terms of technology acquisition, but we are focused on offering our mobile application AQUA Sightline so that they can have a better production and performance that in the end will be positively impacting the profit. 

How can AQUA Sightline contribute to fish production?

The application allows us to optimize production processes. We have found in the field that many times, being cyclical production processes, these are events that have already happened in the past, but since they are keeping the information on paper or in an artisanal way, they do not have a way to follow up and analyze these events that have happened in an automated and fast method. In that sense, what we are offering is an application through which fish farmers can keep track, for example, of feed, sampling, mortality, physical-chemical parameters and soon inventory and costs, to analyze and make comparisons in real time between the different production cycles and through AI see if they are going in line with expectations, or if they should make decisions in advance in order to correct and reach the harvest target, or be as close as possible. 

Have you been touring the whole country or have you focused on certain regions?

We are currently focused on certain regions, mainly in Huila (southern Colombia) because it is the largest producer nationwide; however, we have already opened doors in other regions, such as the coast, and in the departments of Villavicencio and Cundinamarca. 

What has caught your attention?

Many times the economic factor is the main obstacle to make decisions regarding the implementation of technology and that happens because 80% of the production is of medium or small producers. Secondly, we have found that most producers do not have quick access to information, or in many cases they do not even have information from 1-2 years ago, which makes the analysis take more time than required or in many cases it is not carried out at all. And thirdly, being such an excellent quality product, the export percentage is not higher. 

You have already managed to implement pilots of the mobile application, how is it going?

Yes, it has been a great learning experience for us. Last year we had three pilots and we are currently working with five producers. The balance has been very positive because it has given us a vision of the needs and requirements of the users so we can work with our development team and implement them in our app to achieve a successful product that can be used, regardless of the size of the producer. 

Finally, what is the invitation to fish farmers for 2025?

The invitation is that they should not be afraid of technology. We understand that, not being a very developed market, there are many fears regarding the implementation of new tools to obtain good results, but we are sure that technology will always bring benefits in the short, medium and long term and will make the sector much more competitive internationally. 

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/