If you’ve ever walked past a commercial aquaculture farm at 2 a.m. and wondered how its thousands of fish get consistent, nutrient-dense feed delivered on schedule, chances are that feed was made on one of the modern production lines we design and supply. For years, I’ve sat across from aquaculture owners and production managers who ask the same exact question: “How automated is my feed line supposed to be?” It’s not a simple yes-or-no answer—it depends on the size of the operation, the species being raised, and even local regulatory requirements, but after troubleshooting, upgrading, and building new lines for over 100 fish feed producers across 12 countries, I can tell you modern automation has come leaps and bounds from the semi-manual lines many still use in small, family-owned facilities. Let’s break down what a true modern fish feed production line looks like, layer by layer, and where the automation actually lives. Fish Feed Production Line
First, let’s set the stage for what a fish feed production line does, because without that context, automation doesn’t make sense. The core process starts with raw ingredients: things like fishmeal, soybean meal, wheat flour, vitamin premixes, oils, and binders. These get weighed, mixed, extruded into pellets, dried, coated with oil and vitamins, cooled, sorted, and packaged, all before being shipped to farms. Ten years ago, most mid-sized operations had someone standing at each station: one person weighing ingredients, another monitoring the extruder temperature, a third checking the dryer’s moisture level. Today, almost every part of that first phase is automated, but not all automation is created equal.
Let’s start with the most basic automation point: ingredient handling and weighing. I’ve seen lines where a worker still shovels 50-pound bags of fishmeal into a hopper and punches numbers into a scale to measure soybean meal. That’s not modern. A modern line has bulk ingredient silos mounted on load cells—precision scales that measure every single ingredient to within 0.1% accuracy. No more human error from misreading a scale or spilling a bag of vitamin premix, which is costly (vitamins can cost $20 per pound) and dangerous for fish health (too little vitamin C leads to sick fish, too much is a waste of money). This system is controlled by a central human-machine interface (HMI) screen, where a production operator just selects the feed formula—say, a 32% protein formula for Atlantic salmon smolts—and the silos automatically dispense the exact amounts of each ingredient, in the right order, into a mixing chamber. Some of our larger clients even have this system synced to their supply chains: when a silo runs low on fishmeal, it automatically generates a purchase order to their supplier, so they never run out mid-batch. That’s the “behind-the-scenes” automation most people don’t see, but it’s the foundation of consistency.
Next comes mixing, and here’s where a lot of lines still fall short. A few years back, a client in Chile told me their mixing process took 12 minutes per batch, with a worker stopping the mixer every few minutes to scrape ingredients off the bottom to ensure even distribution. Today, our modern lines use what’s called a twin-shaft paddle mixer, paired with real-time moisture and consistency sensors. The HMI doesn’t just set a timer for mixing—it monitors torque and moisture levels as the mixer runs, stopping automatically when the feed hits the exact target (usually 12-14% moisture, depending on the formula). For oil, which is added post-mixing in most modern lines to prevent nutrient degradation, we use automated metering pumps that inject oil evenly, so no part of the mix is too greasy or too dry. I’ve measured the difference: semi-manual lines have a 2-3% variation in nutrient content across batches, while modern automated lines have less than 0.5% variation. That’s a game-changer for aquaculture farmers, who rely on consistent feed to hit growth targets.
The extrusion phase is where automation really shows its value, because this is where pellet shape, density, and float/sink characteristics are set. Extruders are like giant pasta machines, forcing the wet feed mix through a die to make pellets. If the temperature is too high, the pellets break apart; too low, and they’re too dense to float (or sink, if that’s what the farm needs). Ten years ago, extruders had temperature gauges that workers checked every 10 minutes, adjusting steam flow manually. Today, our lines have in-line temperature and pressure sensors that feed data directly to the HMI. If the temperature deviates by just 2 degrees Celsius, the line automatically adjusts the steam injection rate, so the pellets are uniform every time. Even the die cutting is automated: some lines use servo motors to adjust the size of the die on the fly, so a single batch can make two different pellet sizes (good for farms that feed different sizes of fish in the same tank) without stopping the line to change the die. I once had a client in Norway that used to have a 15% waste rate from broken pellets during extrusion; after upgrading to our automated extrusion system, that waste dropped to less than 2%. That’s thousands of dollars saved every month.
After extrusion comes drying, which is the most energy-intensive part of the process, and also where automation delivers the biggest efficiency gains. Older lines use static dryers, where pellets sit on racks and workers check moisture levels by taking handfuls every hour, adjusting the dryer’s heat manually. Modern lines use continuous belt dryers, with multiple temperature zones and real-time moisture sensors at the inlet and outlet of the dryer. The HMI adjusts the speed of the belt and the temperature of each zone based on the actual moisture of the pellets, not a timer. For example, if the pellets come out of extrusion with a slightly higher moisture content than usual, the line automatically increases the heat in the first drying zone and slows the belt down a little, so you don’t over-dry the outer layers while the inside is still wet. I’ve done side-by-side tests: a semi-manual dryer uses about 12 kWh of energy per kilogram of pellets, while an automated line uses 7 kWh—half the energy, which is a huge cost saver for farm operations that run 24/7.
Once the pellets are dry, they go to coating, cooling, and sorting, and this is where lines can range from semi-automated to fully automated. For small to mid-sized operations, we offer a semi-automated coating system: an automated sprayer coats pellets with oil and vitamin premixes, a small conveyor belt cools them, and an operator runs a vibrating sieve to sort out broken pellets. For large, commercial lines (producing 10+ tons of feed per hour), we offer fully automated coating and sorting, with sensors that check pellet size, hardness, and even coating uniformity. These lines use high-speed cameras that scan every pellet as it moves down the conveyor, and if a broken or undersized pellet is detected, a robotic arm pushes it into a waste chute automatically. The coating is monitored in real time, so if the vitamin premix isn’t spraying evenly, the line shuts down the sprayer and alerts the operator, avoiding batches of feed with inconsistent nutrition.
Packaging is the final step, and this is an area where automation has evolved a lot in the last five years. A decade ago, packaging lines had workers scooping pellets into 50-pound bags, sealing them, and stacking them on pallets. Today, fully automated packaging lines fill bags to within 0.1 pounds of the target weight, seal them with heat or stitching, label them with batch numbers and expiration dates, and even stack them on pallets using robotic arms. Some of our clients in Vietnam have these lines run with just one operator per shift, who only monitors the HMI and addresses any rare issues, like a bag that doesn’t seal properly.
But here’s the thing: I always tell potential clients that “automated” doesn’t mean “unmanned.” No modern fish feed production line is fully autonomous—at least not yet. Every line needs an operator who understands how to adjust formulas, troubleshoot sensors, and respond to unexpected issues (like a silo running low on a specific ingredient). The best automation is there to reduce repetitive, error-prone tasks, not replace the expertise of the person running the line. I’ve seen too many companies buy a “fully automated” line and then struggle because their operators don’t know how to adjust the system when a batch of ingredients is slightly different (like fishmeal with a higher oil content than usual). That’s why we prioritize training as part of every line we supply—we don’t just install the equipment, we make sure the team using it knows how to get the most out of the automation.
Now, let’s talk about what’s not automated (or shouldn’t be) in a modern line. Quality control, for example, is a mix of automation and human oversight. Our lines can take a sample of every batch and run basic nutrient tests (protein, fat, moisture) automatically, but most full nutrient testing (like amino acid or vitamin content) still needs to be done by a lab technician. We also work with clients to integrate their feed lines with aquaculture farm data—so a farm can order feed automatically when their fish eat a certain amount, and the feed line adjusts formulas based on the farm’s specific needs (like higher protein for fast-growing fish in cold water). That’s the next level of automation, and it’s something we’re rolling out for our clients this year.
If you’re a fish producer looking to upgrade your line, or a new aquaculture farm starting out, the automation level of your line depends on your goals. A small farm producing 1 ton of feed per month can get by with a semi-automated line that cuts out the most repetitive tasks (ingredient weighing, mixing) at a lower cost. A large commercial farm producing 50+ tons per day needs a fully automated line with real-time monitoring, energy efficiency, and batch traceability (which is required by most regulatory bodies now, to track feed back to its ingredients in case of a safety issue).
The biggest mistake I see producers make is thinking that more automation is always better. We had a client in Brazil that bought a fully automated line before their operation was ready—they had only 2 people to run a line that needed 4, and they were paying for features they didn’t need, like the high-speed pellet sorting system. It ended up costing them more in maintenance and training, and they switched to our mid-sized, semi-automated line a year later. The sweet spot is matching automation to your production volume, species, and long-term growth plans.
If you’ve been running a semi-manual line and are tired of batch inconsistency, high waste, and rising labor costs, it might be time to look at upgrading to a modern automated line. Every line we design is customized to the client’s needs—we don’t sell one-size-fits-all systems. We can walk you through the current automation level of your line, where you can add automation to cut costs, and what features will deliver the most value for your operation.
If you’re ready to talk about upgrading your fish feed production line, or you have questions about how automation can help your operation, we’re here to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss your specific needs.
Fish Feed Production Line References
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2021). Aquaculture Feed Production: Automation and Efficiency. Rome, Italy: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.
- International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF). (2022). Global Trends in Fish Feed Manufacturing Automation. Brussels, Belgium: IFIF.
- Xu, L., et al. (2020). Energy Efficiency Optimization in Fish Feed Extrusion and Drying Systems. Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, 29(7), 721-735.
- Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF). (2023). Automation Impacts on Fish Feed Quality and Production Costs. Bergen, Norway: FHF.
Jinan Shengrun Machinery Co., Ltd.
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