HatcheryMatch is a two-year Science and Technology Cooperation Sino-Malta Fund Project between Maltese partners AquaBioTech Group and The Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition at the L-Università ta’ Malta and Chinese partners Fishery Machinery and Instrument Research Institute and Qingdao Blue Granary Ocean Fishery Development Co., Ltd., under the thematic priority Maritime & Aquaculture. Malta and China have a history of collaborative research going back to 2002 and in 2018 Malta and China signed the Belt and Road Initiative agreement to further support collaborative trading, cultural and research activities between the two countries.

The HatcheryMatch project aims to develop four new automation technologies to improve water quality, embryonic categorization, and feeding and in turn reduce stress and losses during the hatchery phase of fish lifecycles. Prototypes for live feed systems, ultrasound disinfection, bottom cleaning devices and a digital, embryonic image analyzer was created. A pilot recirculating hatchery was developed integrating these new technologies to reduce stress on marine stocks, lower labor dependence and increase seeding rate.