Oyster farming news by SMS

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand has found a way to keep a tab on bacterial pollution - placing salinity detectors directly beside oysters, writes New Zealand Herald.

The key is to predict when it is safe to harvest. Water sample tests for bacteria can take 24 hours, by which time weather conditions may have changed and the results are meaningless.

It is now possible to accurately determine a safe time to harvest with the sensors that return data 24 hours a day. Farmers who previously received harvesting notices twice a day now receive them every 15 minutes via text messages and pagers.

Institute regional manager Ken Grange says the technology will continue to be developed and does not have to be confined to New Zealand.

"We could run the same system in Australia or the United States."

Regine | 9:24 AM | SMS Services offered by the Press |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2005/01/006754.htm