By Aquaticode
Aquaticode has entered into an agreement with Grieg Seafood to deliver its patented AI phenotyping and sorting technology to sort Grieg’s pre-smolt for gender and other important characteristics. The solution is intended to increase production efficiency by up to 20% and will be fully integrated into Grieg’s automated vaccination process, markings the first-time gender sorting is fully embedded directly into an automated vaccination line, enabling earlier biological decision-making without increasing handling. The system operates at commercial speed, sorting up to 10,000 fish per hour per vaccination line.
Gender sorting in particular has emerged as a high-impact biological tool in salmon farming. Industry data shows that males grow approximately 20% faster than females, and that females grow around 5% more when they are not reared alongside males. By identifying gender before fish are transferred to sea, hatcheries can reduce variability and improve biological stability. Sorting for health indicators and early maturation in the same process allows to, remove fish unlikely to survive to harvest. The imaging and classification methods behind Aquaticode’s system are protected by multiple patents covering both hardware and AI-based phenotyping.
Grieg Seafood’s decision reflects a broader industry shift toward early intervention, reduced biological uncertainty, and data-driven welfare improvements.
“Biology is the foundation of everything we do,” says Kjetil Ørnes, Regional Director at Grieg Seafood. “Earlier, more precise decisions reduce risk throughout the lifecycle, and we believe gender sorting at the vaccination stage offers meaningful biological benefits. Aquaticode’s technology gives us a practical and integrated way to make those decisions exactly when they matter. This is the type of innovation we want to support: Solutions that strengthen fish health and performance.”
Kjetil Ørnes, Regional Director at Grieg Seafood.
Aquaticode is the market leader in AI phenotyping for salmon, having scanned tens of millions of fish and holding commercial contracts with some of the largest global salmon producers, covering more than one hundred million fish. CEO Stian Rognlid sees the agreement as a strong signal of industry adoption.
“This collaboration with Grieg is an important milestone for our team and for the wider move toward early, data-driven biological sorting,” he says. “Phenotyping and sorting is proving to be a powerful first step toward more predictable biology and higher-performing cohorts. We are particularly grateful that Grieg is taking the lead – when a company with their biological focus moves, others follow. It validates both the need and the impact of what we have built.”
About Aquaticode
Aquaticode is the market leader in AI-based phenotyping and sorting for aquaculture. The company’s patented technology combines multi-sensor imaging, deep learning, and high-speed robotics to identify and sort for biological traits in real time.
