Oceanic Food Solutions

From Hands-On Experience to Aquaculture Consulting

I never set out to pursue consulting as a goal in itself. It happened naturally as I accumulated knowledge, know-how and hands-on experience in the field. I had the opportunity to participate in cage installations and the development of different technologies directly on site, and I believe I have a kind of professional instinct, perhaps influenced by my background in Project Management, that leads me to improve technologies or processes whenever I see room for optimization.

Over time, I came to understand that the knowledge and experience we accumulate throughout our professional careers makes little sense if we simply keep it to ourselves. I believe we have a responsibility to transfer that knowledge and share it with other professionals, specialists or anyone who may benefit from it. An external perspective is often valuable because it allows us to see things differently. That has ultimately become the purpose of my consulting work: to transfer that accumulated knowledge to others.

The most rewarding part is precisely that: sharing an idea or a piece of knowledge, seeing it put into practice and achieving the results that were originally envisioned.

Personally, I had the opportunity to develop copper-alloy nets and submerged cages, taking them from a simple idea on paper to engineering drawings and installations in different locations. But perhaps the most meaningful example has been the Ocean Arks Tech farming vessel. I originally sketched the concept by hand in a notebook while on vacation with my family. That drawing represented how I envisioned the future of aquaculture and what I believed could be an alternative to relieve pressure on coastal areas while allowing the industry to continue growing.

From that hand-drawn idea on a beach, we eventually reached a patented technology that is now moving toward building a prototype that several interested parties are eager to see operating in the water. Seeing that transformation from an idea on paper into a real, patented technology has undoubtedly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career.

Addressing Aquaculture’s Growth and Sustainability Challenges

One of the broadest challenges facing the industry today is the need to become increasingly efficient and sustainable while finding new areas for growth.

Coastal zones are becoming increasingly crowded with competing activities. Aquaculture areas today intersect with artisanal fisheries, navigation routes, recreational fishing and many other users. Coastal areas that were highly attractive for aquaculture thirty or forty years ago are now much more constrained, leaving limited room for further expansion.

The industry therefore needs to identify new farming areas. Fortunately, we have the ocean, the natural environment where fish live, which covers more than 70% of the planet and represents an enormous opportunity for sustainable growth. The technologies required to access those environments are also becoming available. Part of the challenge will be for aquaculture to adopt technologies such as ocean farming and offshore production to unlock this growth potential.

This can also help address distance to market. Logistics can have a significant impact on costs, particularly when fresh products must be transported by air to reach consumers on time.

Biological challenges are equally important. Parasite control and disease reduction remain strategic priorities. Keeping fish healthy, improving survival rates and reducing the use of antibiotics are critical. Fish are highly efficient converters of feed, making species such as salmon, seriola and yellowtail competitive from both an economic and sustainability perspective.

Another increasingly relevant issue, particularly in light of current geopolitical conflicts, is food security and food sovereignty. Countries are beginning to consider more seriously whether a portion of their strategic food supply should be produced domestically.

Finally, the industry must continue incorporating knowledge and technologies developed in other sectors, together with advances such as artificial intelligence, to make production increasingly efficient and competitive. Aquaculture is also competing with other sources of animal protein such as beef and poultry.


Transforming Aquaculture Through Technology

I believe the next five to ten years will be particularly interesting because aquaculture is entering a period of optimization and transformation of its production models.

On one hand, we will see much greater integration of artificial intelligence, automation, sensors, genetics, robotics and data analytics. The objective will no longer simply be to collect information, but to understand in real time what is happening with the fish and the business, anticipate problems and continuously optimize production and economic decisions.

On the other hand, I believe we will see important changes in production architectures. Coastal aquaculture will remain highly relevant, but it is reaching a stage of maturity and facing increasing limitations related to space and coexistence with other activities. As a result, we will see greater development of semi-closed, submersible and offshore systems, including mobile ocean farming platforms capable of accessing new areas and better water conditions.

Food security and food sovereignty will also become increasingly important. The geopolitical events of recent years are leading many countries to reconsider how much of their strategic food supply should be produced domestically. Aquaculture can play an important role in that discussion.

Ultimately, I believe business development will increasingly depend on integrating biological, engineering, technological, artificial intelligence and commercial strategy variables within a unified model for analyzing the production system.

Simulators can provide a complementary and agile tool for companies that need to evaluate scenarios and accelerate decision-making before having a fully developed digital twin, which typically requires more time and resources to implement. Companies that integrate these capabilities earlier will likely develop an important competitive advantage.

For this reason, we are making BlueROI™ available to the market as our new aquaculture business simulation platform. It combines field experience, accumulated know-how and business modeling to help investors, CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, production managers and aquaculture companies evaluate scenarios, compare technologies, assess strategic inputs and market conditions, and make better investment decisions.

Preparing the Next Generation to Shape Aquaculture’s Future

First of all, I believe it is important to understand that aquaculture has an extraordinarily promising future.

The world will need to produce increasing amounts of food while facing growing constraints on land, freshwater and other natural resources. In that context, fish offer important advantages, including high feed-conversion efficiency and comparatively lower freshwater requirements. Aquaculture can also take advantage of the enormous space available in the oceans.

But that does not mean the path ahead is already solved. Modern aquaculture has undergone several decades of development, and many of its production models are now entering a stage of maturity. I therefore believe the coming years will bring significant changes in the way we produce.

My first recommendation to anyone seeking to build a career in this industry would be to understand real-world operations. Aquaculture happens in the water, at farming sites, hatcheries, processing plants and aboard vessels. It is very difficult to innovate effectively without firsthand understanding of the problems and constraints that operations actually face.
I would also recommend developing a broader and more multidisciplinary perspective. The next generation of professionals will need to think beyond traditional models and integrate biology, engineering, technology, environmental considerations, economics, markets, regulation, data and artificial intelligence. It is not necessary to be an expert in every area, but it is important to understand how they interact and how a decision in one area can affect the entire system.

For entrepreneurs, I would add something else: developing a good technology is not enough. You need to deeply understand the problem you are trying to solve and the economic and operational reality of the company that will eventually have to adopt that technology.

The greatest opportunities will probably emerge from the ability to look at the entire system, identify its limitations and connect new technologies with real industry needs.

I believe we are entering a particularly interesting period for aquaculture. Professionals and entrepreneurs who are able to understand this transformation and participate in building the next generation of production models will have an extraordinary opportunity to make a meaningful impact in an industry that will be fundamental to feeding future generations.