Design, testing and operation of fish processing lines - can simulation tools and artificial intelligence be a gamechanger?

The oceans play an important role in the world's food supply, so it is very important that we can develop sustainable, safe, and cost-effective production and processing of fish that also safeguards fish welfare. The aim of this research work is to explore if state of the art simulation tools and artificial intelligence, can improve the design, manufacturing, commissioning, and operation of fish processing. The research work takes a broad perspective and describes overall challenges related to fish processing, where the product – the fish – has numerous species, sizes, shapes, and seasonal variations. Processing of fish can take place on trawlers operating on the sea and on land for example processing of aqua culture salmon from. The owners of fish processing lines, have their unique approach and experience, and every fish processing line will be a one-of-a-kind design. Design, testing and operation of fish processing lines can therefore be time consuming, expensive with use of dead fishes either in a physical set up in a workshop or in worst case happen under fish operation in the Barents Sea. If it is possible to set up a simulation scenario with a set of random fish types and random batches of fish and fish processing line operation in rolling sea environment, this can reveal weaknesses with the fish processing line already in the design stage. The research team has set up three early-stage trials of simulation; first the flow of fish on a transport roller, secondly design and test of a singulation machine – machine organizing fishes in a queue for processing –in simulation environment, thirdly shows how simulation can contribute to a more precise and intelligent processing of the fish. The research work indicates that simulation is a promising tool for solving challenges within fish processing. The research work also suggests the possible benefits of simulation for the fish processing industry.