Aquaculture suppliers enfolded into new company
Norwegian aquatech company CageEye and its wholly owned subsidiary NorseAqua have been incorporated into a new company, Bluegrove, formed by CageEye chief executive Bendik Søvegjarto.
And those companies will just be the first of many, according to Søvegjarto, who said further innovative, nimble and solutions-focused aquatech companies are expected to be acquired in the coming months.
“What we are aiming for with Bluegrove is to bring a data driven perspective into production optimisation, and we do that in a sustainable way, meaning that we not only look at using resources in the best way possible but that we also make an organisation that will be there for the long term,” said Søvegjarto in a promotional video.
“So, we’re optimising production for the 100 and 150-year cycles.”
Behavioural analysis
CageEye, which supplies behavioural analysis and feeding control systems for salmon farming, bought fish farming and cleaner fish equipment supplier NorseAqua in November last year. CageEye has also expanded into Chile.
CageEye received venture funding from Breed Reply, which invests in early-stage companies delivering “internet of things” solutions, in June 2018.
It received further venture capital from aquaculture investor Aqua-Spark in October the same year.
Holistic approach
Søvegjarto said Bluegrove offered all kinds of tools and solutions to improve productivity and takes a holistic approach.
“The solutions are all tailored to fit the species in question,” he said in the video. “We are not making this for the farmer, we are making this for the species.
“First you listen to what the fish is telling you and then you act upon that. That can be stopping the feeding system, changing the intensity of adding a feed additive because you see a disease outbreak coming.”
Foundation
Bluegrove has also launched the Bluegrove Foundation, which will work with local communities to create healthy environments for food production by creating integrated systems of ecological and environmental design.
“Bluegrove Foundation’s broad scope is based on our understanding that an integrated system of ecological and environmental design forms the basis for lasting and sustainable forms of farming, both above and below the water surface. It even enables the birth of new social structures,” said Søvegjarto.
“We know how to gather, analyse and respond to data in ways that help us understand fish and other maritime species. We want such skills and knowledge to spread beyond the aquaculture sector, because an understanding of the rhythm and cycles of nature will help optimise food production.”
