Now students can learn fish farm skills in a virtual world
Students looking to take their first steps into aquaculture can now practice their skills without leaving the classroom, thanks to a virtual reality application developed in Norway and Scotland.
“Seafood VR”, a joint initiative from higher education institution UHI Shetland, in partnership with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
has delivered innovative virtual reality (VR) experiences that support career guidance and vocational training.
The project was supported by Seafish, and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) through the UK Seafood Fund Skills and Training Scheme.
“Seafood VR” is centred around the Blue Sector VR application, an open-source and freely available tool designed to simulate real-world tasks in aquaculture developed within NTNU’s “Innovative Immersive Technologies for Learning” IMTEL research group of the Department for Education and Lifelong Learning.
The app has been significantly extended and improved, now including a fully interactive fish laboratory scenario, developed with input from UHI Shetland’s aquaculture team.
Saro Saravanan, Marine Science Lecturer at UHI Shetland commented: “It was a very positive experience working with NTNU on this project, they provided us with the unique opportunity to bring our laboratory to life in a virtual environment, we are very satisfied with the results.”
The app scenarios allow users to engage in tasks such as carrying out fish health checks, performing cage maintenance tasks, analysing plankton samples, managing a remote feeding system, and conducting virtual dissections – bringing authentic salmon farming experiences to learners across the UK and beyond.
UHI Shetland created supporting resources linked to each interactive scenario within the app, including additional quizzes, questions, and activities to allow for consolidation of the information learned.
Alongside the Shetland Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG), the Shetland team have also produced a selection of 360°-videos linked to Shetland’s fishing and marine industries. These can be viewed online at UHI Shetland - YouTube or within the immersive 360° cube space in the foyer of UHI Shetland’s Scalloway campus.
The pilot phase of the project reached over 2,400 participants across 50+ events, including schools, UHI courses, careers events, and science fairs. The VR activities were delivered in diverse settings from remote island schools to national showcases like the Royal Highland Show, where even the First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, had the opportunity to explore the application.
UHI Shetland said the Seafood VR project has laid the groundwork for future immersive learning initiatives between the two organisations.
Eleanor Hutcheon, UHI Shetland’s STEM Outreach Coordinator, commented: “This project has shown how immersive technology can inspire young people and open doors to careers they might never have considered. We’re excited to see where it goes next.”
Why not try these links to see what our Fish Farmer AI can tell you.
(Please note this is an experimental service)
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