Fish n' Bits - The Aquaculture Data Intelligence Podcast

Manolin

Dive into aquaculture data intelligence with our host Tony Chen, CEO of Manolin. Our weekly episodes uncover aquaculture data trends across the industry. Learn about updates on salmon disease, mortality, and lice. Get the latest industry news & more. Discover how data and AI shape sustainable fish farming. Your go-to podcast for all things aquaculture. Subscribe now!

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23 episodes
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English

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Monday · 7 min
SRS in Chile: What El Niño Could Mean for Disease Risk
Could a strong El Niño make one of Chilean salmon farming's most persistent disease challenges even harder to manage? We're taking a closer look at SRS and the potential risks facing Chilean salmon producers as warmer conditions develop ahead of the Southern Hemisphere summer. Learn what makes SRS particularly difficult to prevent and treat, how temperature can influence the spread and severity of the disease, and what happened during previous strong El Niño events. We also explore how better monitoring, new health solutions, and predictive models are giving producers more information to identify changing risks and act earlier. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
September 7 · 38 min
Histology: Preparing Fish Health Data for AI
What does it take to turn a microscope slide into data that AI can actually use? We're joined by the CEO of Histo Company, Lene Sveen, to explore what happens when fish tissue moves from the farm to the lab and eventually becomes a digital image. Learn what histology can reveal about fish health, why preparing and interpreting tissue samples is more complicated than it looks, and how differences in laboratory methods can create challenges for standardization. We also look at the growing role of digital histology and AI, and why better data and more consistent processes may be just as important as the algorithms built on top of them. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
August 31 · 11 min
El Niño: What's Next for Fishmeal & Fish Oil?
How high could fishmeal and fish oil prices go if Peru faces another major anchovy shortage? We're taking a closer look at the developing El Niño, Peru's anchovy fishery, and what tightening marine ingredient supplies could mean for aquaculture over the coming quarters. Learn how today's fish oil prices compare with previous El Niño events, why another weak or canceled fishing season in Peru could push the market into new territory, and where additional supply could come from. We also explore alternative ingredients, changing feed formulations, and the difficult tradeoffs producers may face as higher feed costs collide with fish health and performance. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
July 20 · 11 min
Norway's Traffic Light System: What's Changing Next
What happens when one of aquaculture's most important regulatory systems doesn't deliver the results it was designed to achieve? We examine the next chapter of Norway's Traffic Light System and the debate over how sea lice should be managed in the years ahead. Learn why regulators are reconsidering production boundaries, what new proposals could mean for farmers, and how a decade of data has reshaped the conversation around wild salmon, parasite management, and industry growth. It's a closer look at how one of aquaculture's most influential regulatory frameworks continues to evolve, and why the decisions made in Norway could shape salmon farming around the world. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
June 29 · 9 min
Mediterranean Aquaculture: Growth Meets a Changing Climate
How do you keep one of aquaculture's biggest success stories growing as the environment around it changes? We're taking a closer look at Mediterranean aquaculture and the remarkable rise of European seabass and gilthead seabream farming over the past two decades. Learn how record marine heatwaves are beginning to reshape fish biology, farm performance, and long-term planning, and why producers are increasingly relying on better forecasting, data, and management to adapt to a changing environment. Join us as we explore how one of the world's fastest-growing aquaculture regions is preparing for its next chapter. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
June 22 · 8 min
Reviewing the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (FAO)
Aquaculture has now surpassed 100 million tonnes of production, supplying more seafood to consumers than wild fisheries. But the most interesting story in the FAO's latest State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report is not the milestone itself but where growth is happening. In this episode, we break down the major trends shaping global seafood production, consumption, and trade, including the continued rise of aquaculture, the growing importance of Asia and Africa, and why many of the industry's future opportunities may emerge far outside the regions that have traditionally dominated seafood discussions. We also examine what the report suggests about fisheries, future production growth, and the long-term forces reshaping the global seafood system. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
June 15 · 8 min
What El Niño Means for Feed Markets
What happens when El Niño tightens the supply of fish oil just as salmon markets and global shipping are already under pressure? A newly confirmed El Niño in the tropical Pacific is putting renewed attention on Peru’s anchovy fishery, one of the world’s most important sources of fishmeal and fish oil. With warmer ocean conditions, fishing restrictions, rising container costs, and salmon producers already facing margin pressure, aquaculture could be heading into a more volatile pricing cycle than past disruptions suggest on their own. The conversation breaks down why fish oil prices are climbing, why the timing matters, and how better production planning, data visibility, and risk management can help companies prepare for uncertainty they cannot control. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
May 5 · 18 min
From Deep Dive: The SeafoodSource Podcast — Practical Applications of AI in Seafood with Manolin CEO Tony Chen
This week, we’re sharing a special episode from Deep Dive: The SeafoodSource Podcast on the practical applications of AI in seafood. SeafoodSource speaks with Tony Chen, CEO and co-founder of Manolin, about where AI is already creating value in aquaculture and seafood, and how companies can separate useful tools from hype. We’re excited to bring this conversation to our listeners! ----- Practical Applications of AI in Seafood with Manolin CEO Tony Chen As AI evolves at breakneck speed, seafood companies are left to determine which technologies are actually worth adopting and which are just noise.In today’s episode, we tackle that question with Tony Chen, CEO and co-founder of aquaculture data analytics firm Manolin. We caught up with him at Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global to explore how the technology is being used within the industry today, Manolin's vision for AI in aquaculture, and what the future may hold.This episode was made possible by SeafoodSource Premium. Upgrade to a Premium Membership today using code DEEPDIVE Become a SeafoodSource Premium Member | SeafoodSource Theme music: "Relaxed Podcast Beat" by Tunetank via pixabay.com Learn more at SeafoodSource.com or email astonge@divcom.com to share any show ideas or guest suggestions.
April 20 · 53 min
Scaling African Aquaculture: Kamran Ahmad (Kivu Choice)
What if one of the most important aquaculture growth stories isn’t happening in Norway, Chile, or Ecuador but in East Africa? This episode we step into a region that’s quietly transitioning from small-scale aquaculture into something far more commercial and durable. Focusing on Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, we break down the structural forces driving growth (rising protein demand, pressure on wild fisheries, and improving feed, infrastructure, and policy support) and why Nile tilapia sits at the center of it all. From Uganda’s push into export markets to Kenya’s commercial scale-up through companies like Victory Farms, and Rwanda’s rapid transformation led by Kivu Choice, this is a look at how an entire region is beginning to industrialize aquaculture in real time. We also hear directly from Kamran Ahmad on what it takes to build a scaled fish business from scratch and what comes next. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
April 6 · 12 min
What Måsøval Reveals About Mid-Sized Farm Risk
This week we break down what Måsøval’s strategic review and leadership change may signal for the company and for the broader aquaculture industry. We look at how production growth, rising costs, biology, and debt can move out of sync over time, and why that creates real pressure for mid-sized farming companies. Get a clearer view of the financial and operational forces behind the headlines, along with insight into what this case may reveal about acquisition potential, structural risk, and the challenge of scaling efficiently in salmon farming. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
March 30 · 8 min
Tracking Algae: Norway's Active Pseudochattonella Outbreak
Could a microscopic algae bloom quietly reshape Norway's salmon farming season before most of the industry even understands what's happening? This week, we're tracking the Pseudochattonella bloom spreading across southern Norway, walking through the three distinct phases of the outbreak so far, from the early mortality events at Mowi's Flekkefjord sites in early March to the second wave building near Arendal just days ago. We break down what makes this particular species behave the way it does, how it compares to the Chrysochromulina bloom that devastated northern Norway in 2019, and why Chile's catastrophic 2016 event still serves as the industry's clearest warning of what's possible when conditions align. We close with what farmers and operators should be watching in the weeks ahead, and why the difference between a contained event and a serious operational problem often comes down to how early the right signals are being read. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n' Bits blog.
March 9 · 44 min
Quarterly Public Farm Review: Q4 2025 + Special Interview
What separates the salmon farms that thrived in Q4 from the ones still bleeding money and does it all come down to where they're located? This week, we break down the Q4 financial results from the publicly traded salmon companies, walking through EBIT per kilogram figures across the industry and unpacking why companies like Grieg and SalMar cleared 20 NOK/kg while others in Iceland and Scotland finished deep in the red. We also get into why Mowi's Norway division outperformed nearly everyone, yet the company still ranked third overall, a reminder that geography can make or break a balance sheet. Then, we sit down with Kaspar Coates and Nikolai Jensen, two Norwegian School of Economics graduates whose master's thesis is turning heads industry-wide, exploring how site-level factors like seawater temperature, sea lice pressure, and disease exposure directly tie to financial performance on the farm. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n' Bits blog. You can also check out Kasper and Nikolai's master thesis Investigating the relationship between site-specific biological characteristics and financial performance, in conventional open-net salmonid farming in Norway here.
February 23 · 11 min
Why Hallucinations Happen Using AI (LLMs)
If large language models are so powerful, why can they still get basic things wrong? In this episode, we take a practical look at how AI systems actually work, why hallucinations happen by design, and what’s being done to reduce them. We break down core concepts like probabilistic prediction, chain-of-thought reasoning, RAG systems, context windows, API orchestration, and cost structures. Not from a tech hype lens, but from a business one. Most importantly, we explore what this means for seafood companies integrating AI into real workflows: how to think about reliability, data access, governance, and long-term cost before plugging models into sensitive systems. This isn’t about whether AI will matter but about how to use it responsibly at scale. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
February 9 · 40 min
Vitamin D and Salmon Health: Updated Evidence, Updated Strategy
Vitamin D was long considered a compliance nutrient rather than a performance lever. In this episode, we break down what’s changed in the last couple of years, from BioMar doubling vitamin D₃ across salmon diets to new research suggesting salmon may synthesize vitamin D from sunlight, then zoom out to explain how vitamin D actually works in the body, why modern feeds increased the need for supplementation, and how the EU’s 2019 regulation opened the door to much higher inclusion rates. We also dig into what these findings could mean for different farming environments, and close with a conversation with Dr. Sebastien Rider (DSM-Firmenich) on the latest studies, open questions, and why 25-hydroxyvitamin D products like Hy-D are gaining attention. Sign up for DSM’s webinar on Vitamin D here. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
February 2 · 9 min
Sea Lice: Pressure, Policy, and What Changed in 2025
Yes, it’s once again the time to discuss sea lice. In this episode, we take a clear-eyed look at what the last year of sea lice data is actually telling us (starting in Canada and ending in Norway) without the noise or wishful thinking. We unpack the implications of Canada’s latest court ruling in British Columbia, why the industry’s arguments around coexistence keep falling flat, and how Norway’s traffic light system continues to tighten around modeled lice exposure on wild salmon. Drawing on farm-level data, wild fish monitoring, treatment records, and temperature trends, this episode explains why 2025 became one of the most intensive treatment years on record, why that still wasn’t enough to reverse pressure, and what this means for regulation, capacity, and farm-level decision-making heading into the next cycle. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
January 26 · 9 min
Fish Feed, Revisited: How Fish Oil Supply Is Evolving
What if the most “predictable” part of seafood right now isn’t salmon prices or tariffs, but the quiet choke point in fish feed? In this episode, we unpack why the Peruvian anchovy season still sets the short-term rhythm for fish oil markets, even as the 2026 season already kicks off, and why that dependency keeps resurfacing as a structural risk for aquaculture. You’ll get a clear breakdown of what actually moves feed prices (and why fish oil behaves differently than every other major input), plus a grounded walk-through of the CFI 2025 State of the Algal Oil Industry findings, what it really costs to produce EPA+DHA-rich algal oil, why heterotrophic fermentation is pulling ahead, and why scaling the solution is the hard part, not the science. Centre for Feed Innovation Algae Oil Report For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
January 19 · 10 min
Cod Farming’s Second Act: Why This Time Might Be Different
What happens when a fish the industry once walked away from suddenly becomes more valuable than salmon? In this episode, we take a hard look at the quiet resurgence of cod farming, why cod prices have climbed to historic highs, how tightening wild quotas have reshaped the market, and why the economics look very different than they did during the failed cod-farming boom of the 2000s. We revisit what went wrong last time, from biology to market structure, and then dig into what may actually be changing today: more disciplined operators, improved breeding and production methods, and a supply landscape defined by long-term constraint rather than abundance. The real question isn’t whether cod can be farmed, it’s whether the market can evolve to absorb it. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
January 12 · 12 min
2025 Review: The Signals That Will Shape Aquaculture in 2026
What if the most important lessons from 2025 aren’t found in any single chart, but in how pressure quietly shifted across the system? In this episode, we step back from predictions and take a pattern-based look at what actually mattered over the past year in Norwegian salmon farming and what those same signals suggest we should be watching in 2026. By examining how business conditions, biological performance, environmental stress, and regulation interacted, we unpack why weak prices reshaped decision-making, why fish health improved despite record temperatures, how sea lice pressure continues to build beneath the surface, and why regulation remains the hard ceiling on growth. The goal isn’t to draw clean conclusions, but to understand trade-offs. Where risk was absorbed, where it was deferred, and where pressure is likely to surface next as the industry moves into a more constrained future. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
Dec 18, 2025 · 39 min
Manolin x Gossip Gills // The Future of Seafood Farming
We are super excited to share this episode of Gossip Gills, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s podcast, where Tony Chen (CEO, Manolin) and Kelly Haugen (Head of Marketing, Manolin) join the conversation to unpack how data and AI are reshaping seafood farming. Together, we explore the real challenges facing aquaculture today, from biological complexity and operational efficiency to transparency, traceability, and consumer trust, and why innovation is no longer optional for a sustainable industry. The discussion goes beyond technology alone, touching on the social dimensions of aquaculture, the responsibility to communicate progress clearly, and how better data can drive smarter decisions across the value chain. Follow Gossip Gills for more and find the original link to our episode on their channel here. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.
Dec 15, 2025 · 14 min
Quarterly Public Farm Review: Q3 2025
What happens when low salmon prices stop being a short-term problem and start reshaping how the entire industry thinks about risk? In this episode, we dig into Q3 financial results from the publicly traded salmon companies, not just to recap the numbers, but to unpack what they’re really signaling beneath the surface. We explore widening gaps in EBIT per kilo across regions, why Chile stands out while Norway, Scotland, Canada, and Iceland struggle in very different ways, and how persistent price pressure is forcing companies to prioritize cost control over growth. The conversation goes deeper into the tradeoffs this creates: where cost-cutting shows up quickly through sea lice decisions, where it hides longer-term risk through disease and biology, and why the push toward “control” via land-based and semi-closed systems hasn’t yet translated into stronger economics. The result is a clear-eyed look at whether the industry is truly buying predictability or simply shifting where risk shows up. Download the full Q3 2025 report here. For more aquaculture insights head to our Fish n’ Bits blog.

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