OptoScale goes all in on land with strong signing

Much of the basis for good decisions in aquaculture is laid before the fish are put in the sea. At the same time, production on land has become increasingly complex, with increased requirements for documentation, control and stable operation. OptoScale is now strengthening its efforts and has appointed Hege Øverlie as new product manager with responsibility for smolt and land-based.

Through camera technology and AI, OptoScale provides real-time insight into fish growth, welfare and behavior. Based on tens of thousands of daily images and video, the technology contributes to a more precise decision-making basis, with less need for manual withdrawals.

For Hege, the venture is largely driven by customer needs.

– Vi har blitt trukket mot land fordi kundene etterspør bedre beslutningsstøtte i hverdagen.

She emphasizes that it’s not just about access to more information.

– The value is not in biological measurements of the fish based on images and video alone, but in how the insight is used to support decisions in daily operations.

Link between operations and technology

As a product manager, Hege sees herself as a link between breeders and the technology community.

– Farmers have the experience, context and challenges in production, while technology opens up new opportunities. My role is about bringing these two together in a way that creates real value.

Hege has an education in product and sensor systems, and believes this combination is particularly relevant in smolt and land-based operations.

– For plant operators, it’s not interesting how something is measured, but what it means – and what you should do based on the sensor data you get access to. One example of this is that several customers are using real-time insights in crop distribution to get a better basis for optimizing their feeding strategy.

Customer input that drives development

According to Audhild Blomsø, CPO at OptoScale, the appointment is a clear move to strengthen the link between customer insight and product development.

– Hege is quick to understand complex issues, but at the same time clear about what actually creates value for the user. She is good at prioritizing and driving improvement work that has an effect in practice.

Customer feedback plays a key role in this work,” emphasizes Blomsø.

– When several customers point out the same needs, it’s a clear signal. Then our solutions must become a tool in everyday life, not an extra system to deal with.

Small mistakes can be costly

Smolt and land-based production have clear common features: development is rapid and the margins for error are often small.

It is more important than ever that fish farmers have access to good data right from the hatchery phase. By following the fish from the start and throughout the production process, you get a solid basis for decision-making that makes it possible to adjust strategy and improve the next batch. I’m sure this will be a natural and important part of future aquaculture,” says Hege.

For OptoScale, the focus is on making the technology more relevant where these decisions are actually made.

– The goal is not to make things more complex, but to make it easier to make decisions about production. When customers share what they need in their everyday lives, it’s our job to respond with solutions that provide real value.