Yanmar Joins Joint Demonstration of Remote Automated Feeding System Toward Sustainable Fisheries

As aquaculture becomes increasingly important as a sustainable alternative to wild-caught seafood, the industry is facing challenges such as labor shortages, rising feed costs, and declining catch yields due to rising summer sea temperatures. In response, Yanmar HD has developed a remote automated feeding system that incorporates a seawater-feed mixing technique, which can reduce energy costs. The system is also designed with future use in submersible fish pens in mind. The demonstration will begin at Owasebussan’s yellowtail farm in Owase City, Mie Prefecture, which produces over 600,000 fish annually. Following this, the system will be tested in submersible pens.

The yellowtail farmed during this demonstration will undergo flavor and quality evaluation by F&LC, with plans to begin sales at selected Sushiro locations—Japanese sushi restaurants operated by F&LC— in 2026.

About the Joint Demonstration Test

1. Test Overview

Location: Owasebussan Co., Ltd. Owase Fish Farm (Owase City, Mie Prefecture)
Duration: June 2025 to January 2026 (planned)
Test Scope: Approximately 14,000 yellowtail

2. Roles of Participating Companies

• Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd:
  Development and operation of the remote automated feeding system; acquisition and analysis of demonstration data
• FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES LTD:
  Quality evaluation of farmed yellowtail based on F&LC standards
• Owasebussan Co., Ltd:
  Provision of the fish farm, fish rearing, technical support and evaluation of implementation activities

3. Goals of the Joint Demonstration

The Yanmar Group is committed to realizing a sustainable society, A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE, by enabling a safe and reliable food supply. In the fisheries sector, the group promotes a shift from wild-catch to aquaculture and provides ocean solutions to minimize resource waste and support sustainable fishing practices.

F&LC’s vision—“Discovering new tastiness, Sharing moments of joy.”—underscores its commitment to providing safe, tasty food. F&LC views sustainable sourcing of seafood as vital and aims to build a stable procurement base through partnerships with aquaculture operators, while supporting research and productivity improvements in response to environmental changes.

Owasebussan works to consistently supply high-quality farmed fish that meet market demands despite environmental fluctuations. Through collaborations with universities, it is developing advanced aquaculture technologies tailored to the specific characteristics of local marine environments.

By combining Yanmar’s aquaculture technologies, Owasebussan’s production capabilities, and F&LC’s industry expertise, this end-to-end demonstration from production to distribution aims to establish a sustainable fisheries business model.

4. Aquaculture-Related Technologies

The Yanmar Group possesses aquaculture technologies such as underwater imaging systems that use image recognition to automatically measure fish count and weight, and triploid oyster seed production technologies that enable stable harvests.

In this test, Yanmar developed the remote automated feeding system using remote-control technologies originally employed in agricultural and construction machinery. The system features a Human Machine Interface (HMI) based on ergonomic design, enabling operators to monitor multiple pens at a glance and feed them simultaneously. This remote functionality reduces labor and improves feeding efficiency.

Furthermore, amid rising feed costs due to global economic conditions, the system’s feed-and-seawater mixing technology reduces feed breakage, improves feeding efficiency, and enhances feed utilization.

About Yanmar

With beginnings in Osaka, Japan, in 1912, Yanmar was the first ever to succeed in making a compact diesel engine of a practical size in 1933. A pioneer in diesel engine technology, Yanmar is a global innovator in a wide range of industrial equipment, from small and large engines, agricultural machinery and facilities, construction equipment, energy systems, marine, to machine tools, and components — Yanmar’s global business operations span seven domains. On land, at sea, and in the city, Yanmar provides advanced solutions to the challenges customers face, towards realizing A Sustainable Future. For more details, please visit the official website of Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.

https://www.yanmar.com/global/about/

About FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES

FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES operates over 1,100 restaurants under brands such as “Sushiro,” “Kyotaru,” “Misaki,” and “Sugidama” across 10 countries and regions including Japan. The company strives to enrich people’s lives through delicious food by collaborating with suppliers, employees, and local communities, while addressing social issues and pursuing corporate growth.

https://www.food-and-life.co.jp/en/

About Owasebussan

Founded in 1972 as a spin-off from the seafood department of a local supermarket, Owasebussan Co., Ltd. began as a regional product distributor. Guided by a market-in philosophy, the company has established a vertically integrated supply chain covering production, processing, distribution, and sales.Owasebussan operates its own processing facilities and fish farms ensuring consistent quality management. By working with partner producers and maintaining a stable supply of various species, cuts, and volumes, Owase Bussan supports a steady, reliable, and market-responsive seafood supply system.