Digital leap for Georgian aquaculture: integrating fish farming into national traceability systems

19/02/2026

Until now, most fish farms in Georgia have relied on paper notebooks to record data on feedings, health treatments and production. This resource-intensive approach limits disease prevention, slows decision-making and makes traceability difficult.

That, however, is about to change.

Georgia is preparing to integrate its aquacultural sector into the National Animal Identification and Traceability System (NAITS) and the linked Farm Management System (FMS), a move aimed at modernizing fish health management, strengthening food safety and supporting access to international markets.

Improving aquatic animal health and food safety is one of the main pillars of the country’s 2024–2028 Strategy for Sustainable Development of Aquaculture, developed with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and approved by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA) in September 2024.

The strategy aims to establish a dedicated aquatic animal health action plan for the aquacultural sector, promoting sustainable, accessible and modern biosecurity and disease management practices to strengthen the prevention, early detection and control of aquatic animal diseases while supporting aquaculture productivity and resilience. Its main objective is to expand aquaculture production to meet domestic demand and increase current annual output at least fivefold.

Introduced in 2019 with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Austrian Development Agency as part of International Partnerships Austria, NAITS already provides an established electronic platform for animal identification, data sharing and traceability. According to Mikheil Sokhadze, FAO’s national team leader in Georgia, the country already is a regional leader in livestock traceability through the NAITS and FMS systems.

“By expanding these proven electronic systems to the aquaculture sector, we are directly supporting the implementation of the 2024–2028 Strategy for Sustainable Development,” Sokhadze said. “This initiative ensures that the digital infrastructure reflects how the private sector operates in practice, while strengthening aquatic animal health, food safety and access to international markets.”

As Georgia moves towards integrating aquaculture into its national digital identification and traceability systems, FAO is supporting the process with targeted international expertise. Aquaculture specialist Ruth Garcia worked with sector stakeholders and with deputy ministers and technical teams from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the National Food Agency, the Scientific-Research Centre of Agriculture and the Rural Development Agency to help define the technical requirements for aquaculture-related modules within NAITS and FMS.

To ensure that the needs of the private sector are duly reflected in the aquacultural sector digitalization process, the team also held a consultation meeting with the Georgian Fish Farmer’s Association, which represents fish farms of all sizes from throughout the country.

Field visits across western and eastern Georgia allowed Garcia, together with the NAITS team and regional representatives of the National Food Agency, to observe aquaculture practices in pond farms and fisheries in Kobuleti, Poti, Abasha, Gori, Kvareli, Telavi and Lagodekhi, encompassing different fish species, production systems and management practices.

The visits provided insights into post-harvest handling and basic fish processing workflows, helping shape digital requirements that extend beyond production to include processing activities.

“During field visits to various production zones, it became evident that while Georgian fish farms are diverse in species and scale, they share a common reliance on paper-based management,” Garcia said. “The integration of aquaculture modules into the NAITS and FMS platforms is designed to bridge this gap, providing farmers with the digital tools essential for biosecurity and scaling production.”

The FMS, already successfully implemented in Georgian livestock farms, will allow these producers to digitally track all activities, including production metrics, feed rations, health records and reproduction. The findings will directly inform the design of aquaculture-related functionalities within NAITS and FMS, ensuring that future digital solutions reflect on-the-ground realities.

Strengthening technical capacity, biosecurity and data-driven management at both farm and institutional levels will be essential to sustaining growth while minimizing health and environmental risks. Through phased implementation, targeted investments and continuous monitoring, Georgia aims to ensure that production expansion remains aligned with domestic demand, international market requirements, and the long-term sustainability goals of its aquaculture strategy.