Empowering Future Careers in Aquaculture Through Virtual Reality

UHI Shetland, in partnership with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has successfully advanced immersive learning in aquaculture and fisheries. Their two-year collaborative initiative, “Seafood VR”, has delivered innovative virtual reality (VR) experiences that support career guidance and vocational training.  This project was supported by Seafish, and the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) through the UK Seafood Fund Skills and Training Scheme.

UHI Shetland and NTNU Celebrate the Success of the Seafood VR Project

“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. Owing to the “Seafood VR” project, 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.

Online materials

UHI Shetland, have 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.  See: Seafood VR - UHI Shetland

In addition to this, alongside the Shetland Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG), they have produced a selection of 360°-videos linked to Shetland’s fishing and marine industries. These can be viewed online at (535) UHI Shetland - YouTube or within the immersive 360° cube space in the foyer of UHI Shetland’s Scalloway campus.

UHI Shetland’s Role in Piloting and Outreach

Led by Eleanor Hutcheon, UHI Shetland’s STEM Outreach Coordinator, the piloting 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 had the opportunity to explore the application.

Feedback from participants, primarily aged 11–17, highlighted the app’s engaging nature and educational value. Many users reported increased confidence in exploring careers in aquaculture, with comments such as “I thought it was very interesting to interact with jobs in the fish farming industry.” and “It was enjoyable to be able to go to places you wouldn’t be able to in real life”.  Suggestions for improvement included enhanced graphics and more interactive elements, which are already being considered for future updates.

International Collaboration and Evaluation

NTNU’s IMTEL research group praised the collaboration, Researcher Mikhail Fominykh noted that “The joint development and evaluation efforts have significantly enriched the Blue Sector VR app, providing more engaging content and a more authentic experience”.  The application was developed in the context of earlier projects, researching how to support career guidance and vocational training with virtual reality technology.  “Our joint effort in designing the research methodology and evaluations conducted in Scotland and Norway add value to the expected results.”

Looking Ahead

The Seafood VR project has laid the groundwork for future immersive learning initiatives between the two organisations. Both Shetland UHI and NTNU are committed to continuing their partnership and expanding the reach of VR in vocational education.

As Eleanor Hutcheon reflects, “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.”