Influence of Real-Time Internet of a thing IoT Sensor Networks and Artificial Intelligence Decision-Support Systems on the Performance and Climate Resilience of Genetically Improved Nile Tilapia

Abstract

Aquaculture productivity in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa remain constrained by high feed costs, reactive water-quality management and limited integration of genetically improved stocks with digital monitoring. This 150-day pilot study evaluated genetic improvement and a real-time IoT–AI decision-support system on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) performance and short-term climate resilience, comparing improved Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT-derived) stock under conventional management (T1), improved stock under IoT–AI management (T2), and conventional stock under IoT–AI management (T3), four replicate tanks of dimensions. per treatment. The IoT–AI system, combining Random Forest and LSTM forecasting, achieved 98.74% uptime, 4.28-minute alert latency, and strong predictive accuracy (dissolved oxygen R² = 0.873; temperature R² = 0.914), with 91.3% stress-event detection and 94.6% operator acceptance. T2 fish reached 324.8 g final weight (13.7–20.8% higher than T1/T3), specific growth rate of 2.214% day⁻¹, feed conversion ratio of 1.287 (versus 1.481–1.523), 96.81% survival, and 25.14 kg m⁻³ final biomass. Coefficient of variation of dissolved oxygen fell from 12.37% (T1) to 7.14% (T2), and cumulative hypoxic hours declined 76%. During controlled thermal–hypoxic challenges, detection latency fell from over two hours to 15–18 minutes, post-challenge survival exceeded 98%, and plasma cortisol was markedly lower in T2 (41.2 ng mL⁻¹) than T1 (68.4 ng mL⁻¹). Genotype × management interactions were significant, with the improved stock's advantage rising from +6.2% to +20.8% (final weight) and stress-related mortality reduction deepening from −24.1% to −65.0% under digital management. These results indicate genetic improvement and real-time IoT management act synergistically, offering a scalable pathway toward more productive, climate-resilient tilapia aquaculture relevant to Nigerian smallholder systems.