RFID simplifies care of fish, prawn stocks
Written by Admin on Thursday, September 4th, 2008
RFID simplifies care of fish, prawn stocks
By Pongpen Sutharoj
The Nation
Published on July 15, 2008
Chip embedded in the animal helps identify its breed, monitor its growth
Determining the exact breed and monitoring the growth of each aquatic animal in a broodstock can be a complicated process.
[Broodstock is a cultured species kept separate for breeding purposes.]
But, such tasks will become simple, thanks to the Department of Fisheries Science at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Lad-
krabang, where fisheries’ researchers are planning to use radio-frequency identification (RFID) to identify broodstock and track animal growth for improved breeding. Project leader Rungtawan Panakulchaiwit said the team had selected three aquatic species, the Giant Prawn, Nile Tilapia and Walking Catfish, to be embedded with an RFID chip.
Reports show the three species are a crucial part of the country’s economy, with an export value of about Bt2 billion a year. Therefore, Rungtawan said, improving the breeding process would help add value to the country’s exports.
Because the RFID chip needs to be embedded inside an organ of the animal, the research team has been studying the exact placement of the chip so that the animals are not be harmed in any way.
The project has received funding of Bt3 million from the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) to develop an RFID system for broodstock management.
Since last year, the team has embedded RFID chips into more than a thousand of the three aquatic species. An RFID tag measuring 1.0 centimetre into 0.2 cm is inserted into baby animals 5.5 cm in length.
Inserting the chips into animals is a sensitive process, Rungtawan said. So, the team has been working to find the best technique to ensure the safety of the animals during and after the process. The team has conducted pathology studies, which revealed chip insertion did not lead to any side effects or mutation in the animals, she said.
The project has also received support from two private RFID companies, Silicon Craft Technology and IE Technology, for the development of local RFID chips, RFID readers and software.
To keep the system simple, an RFID tag will identify the animal through a serial number. Other information, such as the animal’s breed, its growth and diet, will be maintained in a database.
“We will track an animal’s growth on a monthly basis, to monitor its overall development. The software will help us analyse the data. If we find that the animal is not growing well, we will implement cross breeding to improve the species,” she said.
Nectec director Pansak Siriruchatapong said the project hoped to develop a prototype that will serve as a model for other breeding farms.
Pansak said that when the project is completed by the middle of next year, the centre will promote the technology and transfer knowledge to private aquatic-animal farms across the country to help improve their farm management.
“We also hope that this project will be a starting point to further develop RFID technology for use in other operations, such as logistics and food tracking,” he said.
At a glance
– The project has received funding of Bt3 million from Nectec.
– The team has selected three aquatic species, the Giant Prawn, Nile Tilapia and Walking Catfish, to be embedded with an RFID chip.
– The project hopes to develop a prototype that will serve as a model for other breeding farms.
