To address the need for sustainable and ethically produced shrimp, smart aquaculture farm management software and tools specialist HydroNeo has announced a new partnership with shrimp welfare experts, FAI.
The partnership has resulted in the integration of FAI’s shrimp welfare assessment framework and technology into HydroNeo’s digital farm management mobile application. The collaboration will provide shrimp farmers with comprehensive tools to monitor and enhance shrimp welfare.
“HydroNeo’s mobile farm management application was developed to help shrimp farmers, especially small-scale operators in Asia, monitor important production factors such as water quality more easily,” explained Fabian Reusch, founder and CEO of the Thai-based company and a shrimp farmer himself. “By supporting farmers to provide the perfect rearing environment, shrimp will thrive. Adding FAI’s shrimp welfare technology to our existing free Smart Farm management app was a logical next step. By improving shrimp welfare on farms, we’re not only helping farmers grow happier animals, but they’ll be healthier and perform better too. As well as meeting the evolving expectations of consumers regarding welfare practices when rearing shrimp, we’re also improving overall farm performance.”
FAI oversees a global welfare project aimed at enhancing the welfare and lives of fish and shrimp worldwide. As one of the biggest shrimp-producing regions in the world, partnering with a prominent and well-established Thai-based farm support organization like HydroNeo was important to FAI.
“Through our partnership with HydroNeo there’s huge scope to not only improve the lives of shrimp, but also the performance and profitability of shrimp farmers in Asia,” explained Marius Nicolini, FAI’s software product manager. “By using HydroNeo’s existing technology to help spread the awareness and use of our science-based welfare assessment framework, we’ll have a significant and positive impact on how shrimp are reared in the region.”
HydroNeo, the leading Smart Farm Solution provider in Thailand, specializes in shrimp aquaculture and aims to enhance farm performance as well as sustainability. The company first launched in Thailand in 2020, with hundreds of farms now leveraging their IoT-enabled farm management systems for 24/7 monitoring and automation, as well as thousands more downloading their newly launched free Smart Farm management app.
The collaboration with FAI is driven by a shared commitment to advancing shrimp farming practices and promoting enhanced animal welfare in Asian nations.
“Research has shown that because of reduced environmental stress and higher animal welfare, our farmers’ shrimp are more resilient to disease and have better growth potential – increasing productivity by 13%,” continued Reusch. “By providing tools to better monitor shrimp health in real-time, adopting preventive measures to avoid stress and disease and focusing more on welfare, we’re reflecting a more holistic and sustainable approach to aquaculture.”
In addition to integrating FAI’s welfare assessment tools into its management platforms, HydroNeo will also promote FAI’s free online Shrimp Welfare Course, available through the FAI Academy website.
“In partnership with HydroNeo, we hope to positively impact the shrimp sector in Asia and promote welfare improvements that benefit shrimp farmers and the shrimp in their care,” concluded Nicolini. “We’ll continue to support HydroNeo as it develops other farm management applications and increases the scope of its welfare-centered outreach work.”
