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HydroNeo, in collaboration with FAI Academy, is empowering professional shrimp farmers through the online course “Shrimp Welfare Indicators”, a step toward sustainable shrimp farming that aligns with premium markets emphasizing animal welfare and environmental friendliness.
Course Overview
- As we enter new markets that increasingly emphasize high-quality and environmentally-friendly shrimp products, shrimp farmers urgently need to ‘upskill’ themselves with scientific knowledge, alongside their existing experience, in order to elevate efficiency and create greater precision in their farming practices.
- The Shrimp Welfare Indicators course by FAI Academy is designed for general shrimp farmers to understand the principles of shrimp farming that consider aquatic animal welfare and to assess the basic elements or risks that can affect shrimp farming.
- The course covers four main areas; shrimp health, environment, shrimp behavior, and nutrition.
- Learners will gain a foundation in the science related to shrimp farming, analyze problems, and assess farm situations rationally. This helps pave the way for sustainable shrimp farming, enhances competitiveness, and builds confidence with end markets that demand transparency and high standards.
Empowering the Future with Knowledge
Looking ahead, on the shrimp industry must prepare for a future where the U.S. may no longer be the top export destination. Competing in price-driven markets is increasingly difficult due to rising competition from countries like India, Ecuador, and Vietnam. The solution? Shift to premium markets.
Consumers in these markets demand:
- Traceability: Clear origin of production
- Animal Welfare: Shrimp are raised well, not just quickly
- Sustainability: Reduced energy use and lower carbon emissions
- International Certifications: Such as ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) and BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices)—pathways to major retailers like Walmart, Costco, Carrefour, and Tesco
As future markets increasingly focus on high-quality and environmentally-friendly products, a crucial question that follows is: How can we prepare shrimp farmers to meet the demands of this future market?
HydroNeo and FAI Join Forces to Elevate Shrimp Welfare Standards for Industry Sustainability
HydroNeo, a leader in smart farm technology for aquaculture, in collaboration with FAI (Food Animal Initiative), a global expert organization in animal welfare, announces a significant partnership to develop an online learning curriculum aimed at elevating shrimp farming standards towards improved welfare and greater sustainability.
This collaboration focuses on the following key areas:
- Integrating Knowledge for Practical Application: HydroNeo will incorporate FAI’s shrimp welfare assessment system into its farm management application, enabling farmers to easily access and learn the Shrimp Welfare Indicators curriculum conveniently via their mobile phones.
- Expanding Access for Smallholder Farmers in Asia: This curriculum will be available in both Thai and English, allowing equal access to shrimp welfare knowledge for farmers in Thailand and neighboring countries. We anticipate that learners will be able to apply this scientific knowledge to manage their farms, monitor water quality, and maintain optimal environmental conditions for shrimp with maximum efficiency.
- Promoting Health, Increasing Yield: When farmers appropriately apply this knowledge to manage the welfare conditions of shrimp, it will help reduce stress in shrimp, which research has shown can increase yield by up to 13%. Furthermore, it helps shrimp become healthier and grow faster.
- Meeting Modern Consumer Demands and Creating Business Advantage: Today’s consumers increasingly prioritize animal welfare and sustainability. This collaboration will equip shrimp farmers with knowledge, preparing them in advance with a scientific farm management system that uses data for decision-making, making shrimp farming more precise and maximally efficient, aligning with global market expectations.
“By improving shrimp welfare on farms, we’re not only helping farmers grow happier animals, but they’ll be healthier and perform better too. As well as meeting the evolving expectations of consumers regarding welfare practices when rearing shrimp, we’re also improving overall farm performance,” – Fabian Reusch chief executive of HydroNeo.
A Practical, Actionable Assessment System
The Shrimp Welfare Indicators course enables farmers to identify and prioritize problems logically, for example, recognizing undesirable shrimp behavior due to water quality changes, inappropriate feed size, or emerging predators.
The four key modules include:
- Shrimp Health
Understand the shrimp’s life cycle from nauplius to adulthood and how their needs change at each stage. This helps farmers design appropriate environments and feeding plans.
- Environment
Learn the basics of water quality (e.g., salinity, pH, DO) and their impact on shrimp growth. Managing the right conditions reduces stress and increases survival rates.
- Nutrition
Adjust feed types, protein levels, and sizes according to shrimp age. Understand the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) to assess feeding efficiency.
- Behavior
Observe shrimp behavior in various situations, stress, illness, or disturbance—and respond with proper environmental or management adjustments.
Each factor can be assessed using a three-tier scoring system:
- Score 1 – Normal Condition: Shrimp are healthy, welfare is good, and conditions support growth
- Score 2 – Suboptimal Condition: Shrimp show early signs of stress—manageable, but shouldn’t persist too long
- Score 3 – Critical Condition: Immediate intervention is needed to prevent mortality
Under this assessment, farmers will be able to rationally analyze risks, prioritize solutions, and manage issues promptly, determining which matters require urgent attention and which can wait without affecting the shrimp’s health. This scoring system, therefore, transforms ‘farming based on experience’ into ‘systematic farming’ that allows for clearer reasoning and more defined response planning.
Developing Towards Smart Farm
HydroNeo encourages Thai shrimp farmers to enhance their potential towards Smart Farm aquaculture, enabling more efficient farm management, increased productivity, higher survival rates, and greater cost savings.
We are developing a more efficient shrimp farming system with the following solutions:
- Early Warning System and Real-time Data Analysis: DO, pH, and temperature data are analyzed to predict problems. Farmers can monitor water quality 24/7, allowing them to respond before damage occurs. Additionally, they can control the amount of electricity used for aeration, operating it only when necessary and paying only for what is used, leading to better farm financial performance.
- Automated System: With the installation of an automated system, shrimp farmers can remotely control feeding and aeration systems from their mobile phones, anytime and anywhere, or set automatic on/off schedules. Furthermore, the system provides water quality reports in graphs and AI-powered alerts if any anomalies occur.
- Digital Feed and Growth Logging System: Farmers can record the amount of feed given, shrimp size, and attach photos, along with growth analysis graphs, facilitating continuous and systematic monitoring of results. All data is accessible anytime, anywhere, via mobile phone, is never lost, and can be reviewed retrospectively, laying the groundwork for traceability.
Learning the Shrimp Welfare Indicators course is not just about studying basic science; it’s an investment in knowledge that securely and sustainably opens the door to the “market of the future.“
Download the app and start learning
If you are a forward-thinking shrimp farmer, HydroNeo and FAI Academy invite you to be part of elevating the Thai shrimp industry to global standards. Download the free app here:
