Sampling at the Rubbestad facility, carried out by fish health biologist Elise Rønningen
(Photo: Akvaplan-niva)
Akvaplan‑niva, in collaboration with Aqua Kompetanse, KIME Akva, and Greenfox Marine, and funded by Forregion Troms, has carried out a project aimed at achieving successful sex classification in farmed cod.
"This could be the solution to one of the biggest challenges in the industry. Early sexual maturation and spawning in cages have negative effects both on wild cod and on the welfare of farmed fish, as well as on production profitability," explained Lauris Boissonnot, project director at Akvaplan‑niva.
The experiment involved researchers tracking two groups of cod from Norway’s main breeding programs, Nofima and Havlandet. When the fish reached 200 grams, ultrasound evaluation allowed them to distinguish between females and “non-females” at that same weight. In addition, the fish were not fed for two days before the analysis to ensure better image quality.
This ultrasound technology, combined with artificial intelligence (AI), was developed by Greenfox Marine and was originally designed for salmon. For this reason, work is underway to adapt both the equipment and the methods to build a solid database, enabling commercial sex classification to begin in 2027.
Additionally, a consortium of producers, R&D centers, and technology providers is working on an initiative to ensure reliable classification of small fish and to analyze the impact of this practice on spawning, animal welfare, and production performance.
"If these advances are successful, the cod farming industry will be one step closer to overcoming one of its main challenges and moving towards more sustainable production," Akvaplan‑niva stated in a statement.