By Chalisa Kallayanamitra
Aquaculture has become a critical pillar of global food security by providing over half of the world’s fish for human consumption. It is projected to be the primary seafood source by 2030, due to increasing demand and decreasing wild fishery (World Bank 2014). While vital for feeding a growing global population and sustaining local livelihoods, this rapid expansion has historically led to significant environmental challenges.
Conventional practices, especially intensive culture systems and poor site selection, have caused extensive habitat destruction, notably the destruction of mangrove forests for farm construction. This practice also has resulted in soil degradation through salinization and acidification, as well as severe water pollution from high organic and nutrient loads, suspended solids, and chemical residues. Furthermore, aquaculture poses threats to biodiversity through the potential release of non-native species, loss of genetic resources, and reliance on wild-caught fish for feed (Mushtaq 2021).
Geospatial technologies provide a powerful suite of tools for addressing the environmental challenges of aquaculture and thus enabling more sustainable and responsible practices. These technologies facilitate precise spatial analysis, real-time monitoring, and data-driven decision-making across various aspects of aquaculture operations.
Overview of Geospatial Technologies
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is at the heart of the geospatial tools used in fish farming. GIS collects, organizes, stores, and displays information about specific places. With GIS, connections and changes in water networks become readily apparent. GIS works hand-in-hand with other technologies like Global Positioning System (GPS) which give exact locations and Remote Sensing (RS) which gathers information from above. Sensors, mounted on drones, airplanes, or satellites capture light and energy reflected from the Earth’s surface, giving a bird’s-eye view of a farm and its surroundings (Jaywant 2024; GIS Navigator 2025).
GIS information can be displayed in different ways. For example, it can use points to mark specific spots like pump locations, lines to show features like rivers, or shapes to outline areas like a farm pond or a mangrove forest. Each of these mapped features can have important details attached to it in a database, such as water quality readings or soil types. When GIS is combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), it becomes even more powerful. It can then automatically analyze images, process data in real time and even predict future conditions (Nath 2000; FlyPix AI 2025).
Geospatial technologies offer diverse applications that directly contribute to making aquaculture environmentally friendlier, from initial planning to ongoing operations and disaster response.
Optimal Site Selection
Choosing the right location for a fish farm is one of the most important things that can be done, as the location greatly affects both a farm’s success and its impact on the environment. GIS provides a powerful view of all the natural features and social factors of potential locations (Elabor 2024). This includes checking natural conditions like water quality (temperature, oxygen levels, saltiness, cloudiness, and pollution), availability of water, type of soil (its slope, how well it holds water), and weather patterns like rainfall. It can also point out social and business factors such as local rules, other uses of the land or water, how close the farm is to markets, available roads and power, and whether skilled people live nearby (Nath 2000).
Real-Time Environmental Monitoring and Water Quality Management
Keeping water clean and healthy is vital for the fish and for the farm’s environmental performance. In the past, farmers had to take water samples by hand and look at the water, which took time and usually meant they only reacted to problems after they happened. Now, geospatial technologies, particularly satellite monitoring and smart sensors, allow monitoring of water quality constantly and across large areas, in real-time (FlyPix AI 2025).
Modern sensors, placed in ponds, cages, or recirculating systems, constantly and automatically measure key water quality factors like oxygen levels, pH, temperature, ammonia, cloudiness, and saltiness (Elabor 2024; FlyPix AI 2025). These sensors send the information to online systems, so it can be checked from anywhere using a phone or computer. This real-time information means a farmer can react right away to changes, keep conditions stable, make sure feed is used efficiently, reduce the risk of stressed or sick fish, and even avert disasters. These smart insights can automatically adjust parameters like aeration, filtration, and feeding times to get the best results for the fish.
Disease Surveillance and Management
GIS has become a vital tool for keeping aquatic animals healthy because it helps see where diseases are spreading on a map, spot patterns, and even predict where they might go next (Macario 2025).
GIS can thus be combined with disease models to create risk maps and simulate how diseases might spread. This helps set up monitoring systems that focus on high-risk areas, ensuring the fish stay as healthy as possible (Dorotea 2023).
Knowing exactly where and how diseases move is crucial for putting strong biosecurity measures in place. By mapping disease occurrences and potential pathways of spread, these geospatial tools let a farmer take specific actions, like setting up restricted zones or controlling movements, to stop the spread of outbreaks.
Resource Efficiency and Waste Management
Geospatial technologies play a big part in running an environmentally friendly fish farm, especially when it comes to getting the most out of the feed and controlling pollution. By watching environmental conditions like oxygen levels, water temperature, and currents in real-time, a farmer can figure out the best times to feed.
Satiation monitoring uses smart technology to watch how the fish are eating and warns when they are full, taking the guesswork out of feeding and preventing overfeeding. Underwater cameras can even show if feed pellets are being ignored and sinking, which means wasted feed (Innovasea).
With GIS, a farmer can track pollution, habitat changes, and other environmental shifts, giving the farmer important information on how to farm sustainably and reduce negative impacts.
When it comes to treating waste, GIS and remote sensing can help find the best places for solid waste disposal, considering both environmental rules and local community needs (Chandel 2024).
Supply Chain Optimization
Even after the fish leave the farm, GIS makes the process environmentally friendlier by making the supply chain more efficient. It helps find the quickest transportation routes, locate the best markets, and identify suitable processing plants. This smart planning cuts down on the fuel used for transport and ensures products get to customers efficiently (Elabor 2024).
Environmental Benefits
The integration of geospatial technologies into aquaculture yields a wide array of benefits, extending beyond environmental protection to encompass significant social and economic advantages, fostering a more equitable and sustainable industry. By enabling the prediction of natural disasters and climate change impacts, these technologies help farmers take strong action against disasters and thus protect the operations and investments (Longdill 2008; Mushtaq 2021).
Social Considerations
Fish farming provides livelihoods and food for over 800 million people, especially in developing countries vulnerable to climate change and poverty (WorldFish). Geospatial technologies, by enhancing farming sustainability, significantly improve lives in these communities. They contribute to better diets and stable livelihoods by making fish farms more efficient and resilient (NOAA 2020).
Geospatial technologies can promote fairness and inclusion by providing data for focused support, where geospatial analysis identifies areas with high female participation or areas with specific social vulnerabilities. Geospatial technologies also facilitate building skills and knowledge through specialized GIS training, particularly with affordable, free software, empowering women and youth with technical skills in data collection, analysis, and farm management.
By integrating social considerations into the application of geospatial technologies, aquaculture can transcend mere environmental sustainability, evolving into a truly inclusive and equitable industry that benefits all stakeholders.
Successful Case Studies
Across the world, geospatial technologies have shown real, practical benefits, proving they can help farm fish in ways that are good for the environment.
Smart Oyster Farming in Maowei Sea, China: In the Maowei Sea of China’s Beibu Gulf, marine oyster farming is a common small-scale activity that’s both environmentally friendly and socially inclusive. Researchers have successfully used advanced remote sensing technology to map and monitor these oyster farms with high precision. This optimizes the layout and scale of local aquaculture and provides scientific information for important decisions that benefit the sustainable development of the local economy and environment (Qin 2025).
Boosting Fish Production in Dimbhe Reservoir, India: In the Dimbhe reservoir of Maharashtra, India, geospatial analysis was used to measure how water depths varied throughout the reservoir and to map the best areas for enclosed fish farming, like cage culture. By using satellite images (Sentinel-2) and mapping tools (QGIS), experts identified a significant portion of the reservoir (over 550 hectares) ideal for permanent cage culture. This analysis helped estimate that the reservoir could produce over 112 metric tonnes of fish, a big jump from the current 27-32 tonnes (Dave 2023).
Identifying Pond Potential in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam: In the Dai Tu district of Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam, remote sensing and GIS were used to map and assess suitable areas for building watershed ponds. This project successfully identified a large potential area (2,725 hectares) for new ponds, far exceeding the existing area (404 hectares). By integrating environmental and socio-economic data, these geospatial tools provided crucial information for local planners to strategically develop aquaculture (Giap 2003).
Challenges to Adoption
Given all the clear benefits and successful examples, getting these geospatial technologies widely used in fish farming, especially in developing countries, still faces big hurdles.
The initial expenses for getting geospatial data, software, and equipment can be quite high. Having to buy software, in particular, often creates a big financial hurdle for training and long-term use, especially in places with limited finances. The cost of collecting large amounts of map-based data also adds to this problem (Magloo 2025).
Many developing countries don’t have the necessary systems and platforms to keep detailed records of fish farming. This means there’s often not enough good quality data available, which is essential for GIS to work effectively (Nath 2000).
Many decision-makers don’t fully see the value of geospatial technology and have a limited understanding of how GIS works. There aren’t enough GIS experts, not enough training is available, and people generally lack experience in handling these technologies efficiently (Macario 2025).
Not enough commitment from organizations and insufficient government support can stop these smart mapping tools from being used consistently over time. Lack of data policies, unclear roles for different groups, and poor internet access also make it harder to put these systems in place (Nath 2000).
Future Directions and Recommendations to Stakeholders
To get past the challenges, a multi-pronged approach that involves smart investments, building skills, and updating rules, all working together, is needed.
Creating special GIS training courses that focus on how to use map-based data for real-world problems in fish farming is vital. Using affordable, free software like QGIS, combined with hybrid delivery models (in-person and online), can enhance accessibility and foster autonomy among aquaculture professionals, particularly in low- and middle-income settings (Macario 2025).
Governments should invest strategically in the necessary technological infrastructure and data platforms, ensuring data accessibility and interoperability across different sectors and stakeholders (Magloo 2025).
The private sector should focus on developing and deploying user-friendly, affordable technologies tailored for small-scale farmers. This includes creating intuitive mobile apps, robust sensors, and automated systems that are easy to install and maintain (Magloo 2025; Waycott 2025).
For small-scale farmers, user-friendly tools are key. Farmers can benefit from satellite images, analyzed by AI, which can monitor the health of their ponds, detect changes in water quality (like algal blooms or turbidity), and even track the growth of their farms. Small, easy-to-operate drones can be used to quickly collect data on water quality, pond conditions, and even fish behavior from above. Open-source GIS software like QGIS is becoming more user-friendly and can be used for basic mapping and analysis, helping farmers visualize their farm data and make better decisions about site management and resource allocation.
The development of open data platforms, like those being created by NOAA and Esri, can make ocean-related information more accessible and actionable through location analytics, digital maps, and web portals (Waycott 2025).
Highlighting the economic benefits of GIS-driven sustainable practices, such as improved feed conversion ratios, reduced disease outbreaks, and potential for income-adding from waste (e.g. algal biomass for food/energy, nutrient recycling), can incentivize adoption (Castine 2013).
Overcoming the existing barriers will necessitate a strategic and coordinated investment across technology, human resources, and policy frameworks. By fostering a geospatial mindset and ensuring that the benefits of geospatial technologies are clearly articulated and demonstrated, the aquaculture sector can accelerate its transition towards more sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.
Conclusions
Fish farming is a vital part of feeding the world, and is set to become the world’s main source of seafood soon. But its past growth has often come with environmental problems such as nature destruction, water pollution, and wildlife harm. Therefore, clear sustainable practices to farm fish are needed; solutions that protect nature while also making good business sense.
This is where geospatial technologies like smart mapping (GIS), satellite imagery (Remote Sensing), and GPS, boosted by AI and smart sensors (IoT), come in. By embracing these new tools and tackling current obstacles, fish farming can secure its place as a sustainable and environmentally responsible provider of protein, contributing significantly to global food security without compromising the health of precious water environments.
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