The Japanese government amended in 2018, for the first time in 70 years, the country's fisheries law allowing non-traditional companies into the fisheries business. This decision has allowed tech companies further developments in smart fishing as Sharp, KDDI and NEC, Japan's biggest tech and telecom companies, that have developed high-tech solutions to improve feed performance in fish farms.

The new AI technology uses images to measure the length and width of the fish and automatically calculate their weight. Images are captured through multiple cameras that are distributed on farm tanks. It also measures environmental data such as water temperature, oxygen levels and salt concentration, allowing farmers to monitor conditions remotely. The system allows farmers to adjust the timing and volume of their feed according to input data.

NEC plans to commercialize its fish farming technology in April 2019, following a month of trials carried out in cooperation with Nippon Suisan Kaisha with yellowfin tuna.

"Feed is the biggest cost for fish farming. Knowing the appropriate timing and amount is very important," said Mamiko Hayasaka, manager of NEC's digital platform division, to local news.

NEC started testing the new technology in yellowfin tuna and wants to expand it to other tuna species and also salmon in Norway and Chile. "We use cloud services for transferring data, so we can do business anywhere," Hayasaka said.

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