Thanks for this post, it’s super valuable to get a better sense of this ecosystem.
On the apparent lack of Chinese companies, I think this is a methodological thing; a few possible blind spots:
Most obviously, English-language, web-based search is probably going to miss some Chinese AI-aquaculture innovators that would otherwise meet the paper’s inclusion criteria. Using Chinese-language platforms might be necessary.
AI for aquaculture in China is often embedded within broader, more integrated “smart aquaculture” systems rather than marketed as standalone AI products. e.g. I’m not sure if Limap 励图高科 came up on your search, but it’s a huge aquaculture and fisheries innovation company, deploying integrated aquaculture platforms across China, covering over 50 species etc. Some of their products and systems are explicitly AI-enabled & welfare relevant (e.g. computer-vision-based fish health and disease detection, visible in Chinese-language demos and videos), but they might have been excluded/missed because they’re so broad.
China’s innovation system is more state-led than elsewhere, and a lot of innovation happens through Universities, Agricultural Science and Technology Parks, local government programmes, “demonstration bases” 示范基地 etc. For example, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently released a 主推技术 (“main promoted technology”) notice, announcing that AI-enabled “smart aquaculture factory” technologies (including behaviour recognition, automated feeding, inspection robots, and large-model-based decision systems) are being supported through national programmes, implying a state-led deployment process. So you might be missing Chinese AI innovation in aquaculture that’s not strictly commercial.
Thanks for this post, it’s super valuable to get a better sense of this ecosystem.
On the apparent lack of Chinese companies, I think this is a methodological thing; a few possible blind spots:
Most obviously, English-language, web-based search is probably going to miss some Chinese AI-aquaculture innovators that would otherwise meet the paper’s inclusion criteria. Using Chinese-language platforms might be necessary.
AI for aquaculture in China is often embedded within broader, more integrated “smart aquaculture” systems rather than marketed as standalone AI products. e.g. I’m not sure if Limap 励图高科 came up on your search, but it’s a huge aquaculture and fisheries innovation company, deploying integrated aquaculture platforms across China, covering over 50 species etc. Some of their products and systems are explicitly AI-enabled & welfare relevant (e.g. computer-vision-based fish health and disease detection, visible in Chinese-language demos and videos), but they might have been excluded/missed because they’re so broad.
China’s innovation system is more state-led than elsewhere, and a lot of innovation happens through Universities, Agricultural Science and Technology Parks, local government programmes, “demonstration bases” 示范基地 etc. For example, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently released a 主推技术 (“main promoted technology”) notice, announcing that AI-enabled “smart aquaculture factory” technologies (including behaviour recognition, automated feeding, inspection robots, and large-model-based decision systems) are being supported through national programmes, implying a state-led deployment process. So you might be missing Chinese AI innovation in aquaculture that’s not strictly commercial.