Huawei has partnered with Norway’s Berlevåg Jeger-og Fiskerforening (BJFF, or Berlevåg Hunter and Fisherman’s Association)

Norway’s coastline and rivers suffer from the influx of non-native Pacific salmon that has spread after their introduction in Russia’s White Sea the 1950s. These invasive salmon species introduce new diseases to the native Atlantic salmon and compete with them for food and spawning grounds. Because the Pacific Salmon reproduce faster, their numbers are rapidly increasing compared to the native species. In an effort to block their entry into Norway’s waterways, Huawei has partnered with Norway’s Berlevåg Jeger-og Fiskerforening (BJFF, or Berlevåg Hunter and Fisherman’s Association) to create an AI-enabled gate that distinguishes and allows the native Atlantic salmon into the river, while blocking other species. (New Atlas)

The AI gate has been installed in an upstream channel of Norway’s Storelva River, which receives fish that are swimming upriver from the sea.

Blocking invasive Pacific salmon

An underwater camera placed inside a passage leading to the gate captures, in real time, images of incoming fish that are analyzed by an AI algorithm that can tell apart the Pacific from Atlantic salmon with 91% accuracy. On spotting an Atlantic type the AI directs the gate to open and let through the fish into the river.

However, if the fish is identifies as a Pacific salmon, the gate does not open. These blocked fish are diverted into a holding tank for removal.

The AI can also identify other harmless, fish that are allowed into the river.

With its ability to count, the AI can collect valuable data that could be used for studies of population and migration.

Related Story: AI Helps More Accurately Count The Number Of Sea Lice On Salmon

Image Source: Huawei