The Internet of Eels: Korean Company Develops Smart Fish Farm

Smart technology is being brought to the fish farming industry, with Korean company SK Telecom introducing an 'Internet of Things' eel farm management system.

The system, developed together with BD Inc, is being tested at an eel farm in Gochang in South Korea's North Jeolla Province.

Essentially, it is a network of wireless sensors managed using a smart device. These sensors monitor the fish tanks in real time, measuring water temperature, quality and oxygen levels. Eel farming is a delicate business, and even minor environmental changes can be fatal to the animals.

The smart equipment transmits its findings using an open 'Internet of Things' platform called Mobius. Should changes in the fish farm be detected, the system will send alerts to synced smart devices.

The experimental eel farm demonstrates how IoT technology can make traditional industries more efficient.

SK Telecom is set to commercialise its smart fish farm management system in early 2015, following testing and some fine-tuning. It will first be introduced to the 450 eel farms across South Korea, before steps are taken to adapt it to the farming of other species of fish.

This has caught the eye of nearby China, which accounts for over 60% of the world's aquaculture industry.

Furthermore, this sort of technology could theoretically be applied to agriculture and livestock farming. In fact, smart farming already exists - as upstate New York's self-milking cows show us.

"In a new era where all things are digitally connected, ICT, including IoT, can raise productivity and bring innovation to traditional industries," said Choi Jin-Sung, SK Telecom's executive vice president.