In a letter to the editor at IntraFish, farm policy expert Anthony Pahnke says AI and automation won’t fix offshore aquaculture because the real problem is the industry’s intensive, industrial scale. He writes that AI tools like sensors and automated feeders mask the harmful impacts of factory-style aquaculture, which mirrors patterns seen in industrial agriculture: corporate consolidation, ecosystem destruction, mass fish die-offs, and no real gains in food security.

Pahnke points to Norway’s high-tech farms, which still suffer huge losses from disease, escapes, and equipment failures despite their advanced monitoring systems. He warns that expanding offshore aquaculture under the MARA Act would repeat global mistakes while strengthening Big Tech’s control over marine resources.

Dive in here to see the full commentary →

(Photo: NOAA Fisheries)