Fish Farms Protection with Radar

Theft, vandalism and poaching consist of a great threats to fish farms around the world as many are finding themselves completely defenseless. Typically, farms are located in open ocean areas, making them susceptible to attack. In most cases, the stolen fish are sold on the black market.

An unknown number of Atlantic salmon were stolen from net pens at Cooke Aquaculture’s floating farm near Anacortes, Washington in 2017 - causing millions of dollars in damage. Traditional security solutions often include patrol guards and drones, both of which harbor expensive costs. Not to mention they only provide a partial solution, especially when more than a single farm is involved.

The Challenge
Dozens of cameras deployed at each farm failed to deliver a holistic solution. Aside from high installations and maintenance costs, the cameras produced a high rate of false alarms due to environmental movement and wind. Moreover, fog, frequent storms, and humid conditions contributed to the poor operating results,  evidenced by missing detections.  The problem intensified at night when detecting targets became even harder under low visibility conditions.

The Solution
To prevent future damages to the property, Magos radars have the ability to detect a target within a distance of up to one kilometer. Detecting intruders while they are still far from the farm allows for improved response times. A single radar was placed at each fish farm, accounting for approximately 20 radars, covering all critical areas.  By defining interest areas, the radars can alert only when the target is detected within a defined area, minimizing costly nuisance alarms. Magos radars can be easily installed on floating poles with minimal infrastructures required, operating in all weather conditions including rain, fog, and storms. 

Magos solutions provide very good coverage results for critical areas with overall reduced operating costs. Radars protect a wide perimeter and operate in any weather conditions. Magos radars were installed in fish farms in Latin America. They provide real-time tracking of targets detected in multiple areas. Upon an intrusion detection, the Mass software cues the PTZ cameras to the radar, providing visual verification of alerts.

One end user described the value of deploying the Magos radar as follows: "We have been searching for a solution to protect our fish farms for a long time,” said Mario. “Cameras were expensive and difficult to monitor far from the seashore, causing a high rate of false positives in which patrol teams were sent on boats to investigated each alert. The Magos radar solution generated a substantial cost-savings for us in the short run, allowing us to monitor several areas at once and significantly reducing the number of false alarms."