Smolt producer becomes the pilot customer for a new RAS system
Norwegian companies Akvatechnic AS and Erko Settefisk AS have entered into an agreement to carry out a pilot installation of OmniRAS.
According to a press release from Akvatechnic, OmniRAS is a new management system for RAS facilities where the fish's biological response is used as the basis for operation and optimisation of the facility. Akvatechnic AS was established in 2025 and is located in Haslum in Bærum.
The pilot project will be carried out at Erko Settefisk's smolt facility in Stord and marks the first practical testing of OmniRAS in commercial production at a hatchery producer.
Letting biology take control
The press release states that OmniRAS was developed based on the fact that the fish themselves are the best indicator of how a facility is functioning.
According to the company, the system continuously monitors a large number of parameters related to fish behaviour, water chemistry, and biological environment.
"Through analysis of this data, the system builds an understanding of the biology of the individual facility and can then suggest or implement adjustments to, among other things, lighting regimes, water treatment, feeding, and other operating parameters," Akvatechnic writes.
It further explains that unlike traditional control systems, OmniRAS does not primarily work against fixed setpoints.
"The fish's biological response is the central control variable, while the farmer's defined safety limits and operating frameworks are always fixed. The goal is to achieve better fish welfare, higher biological performance and the most efficient resource utilisation possible," it says.
Step-by-step introduction
The pilot will be carried out in stages. First, the system will act as an observer and collect data without affecting operations. This will be followed by a blind test where OmniRAS's assessments are compared with actual operations afterwards. The next step is limited automatic control within defined areas, before any full autonomous operation is considered.
Erko Settefisk decides for itself whether and when the project will proceed to the next phase.
The pilot project is part-financed by Innovation Norway.
Important milestone
For Akvatechnic, the agreement represents an important milestone in the development of the company's technology.
“We believe that the RAS system of the future must be controlled by biology rather than fixed set points from the process industry. The collaboration with Erko gives us the opportunity to document how dynamic and proactive operation can contribute to both better fish welfare and more efficient production,” says Johannes Hauk Junge, inventor of OmniRAS and co-founder of Akvatechnic AS.
“OmniRAS represents a new way of thinking about RAS management, and we look forward to testing the technology in practice through this pilot project,” says Rune Sandvik, chief executive of Erko Settefisk AS.
