An underwater robot, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help fishing trawlers prevent bycatch by identifying and sizing fish, is being developed by researchers.
Trawlers fish by dragging a net along the seabed to catch a target species, but also catch other fish or sea creatures accidentally, known as bycatch. These are then returned to the sea, but can be injured or dead.
Smartrawl uses AI technology to determine the individual size and species of marine life captured inside a trawl net using images taken by an underwater stereo camera. It then releases or retains each marine animal depending on whether it qualifies against a trawler’s intended catch using a computer-controlled robotic gate.
