November 8, 2022
Hatch supports Ireland's progress toward becoming aquaculture tech hub
Ireland is seeking to establish itself as a hub for aquaculture technology, according to Wayne Murphy, the co-founder of Hatch, a programme assisting start-ups in the sector globally.
The country is drawing on its status as a European hub for many of the world's largest technology and life science companies to boost its aquaculture sector, Murphy said.
"Ireland's start-up system is very developed," Murphy told SeafoodSource. "[Ireland's strength] will not be in the volume of aquaculture produced but in technology, we can develop and export."
Working alongside state agencies, Hatch is hoping to build on the momentum growing in Ireland's aquaculture sector, Murphy said. One of the start-ups it is assisting is Aquamonitrix, a nitrate and nitrite analyser allowing operators of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) to monitor fresh or saline water quality autonomously and in real-time, thus improving the growth performance of their fish stocks.
Aquamonitrix sales manager John McGrath said support from Hatch and Irish government agencies allowed the company to test and verify the efficiency of its technology through partnerships with research centers, including the James Hutton Institute in the United Kingdom.
"From a chemical point of view, it's very difficult to monitor nitrite and salinity adds an extra challenge, but our technology can handle this," he said.
Another company assisted by Hatch is NanobOx, which has developed technology to make the aeration process in aquaculture 50 times more energy efficient, according to company founder John Favier. His technology "drastically reduces" the cost of oxygenation of water which, he said, is the largest cost for land-based aquaculture systems after feed.
Ireland is "very active in developing its aquaculture technology sector," Favier told SeafoodSource. Hatch, meanwhile, is "helping us engage with potential industry partners and prospective customers," he added.
- SeafoodSource
