PR97531

OSLO, Norway, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

-An automated filter system can identify and filter out invasive Pacific salmon

to prevent them from overwhelming and wiping out Norway's wild Atlantic salmon.

Huawei and local partner Berlevåg Jeger-og Fiskerforening (BJFF) have

successfully deployed an AI-powered filtering system in Norway's Storelva River

that allows Atlantic salmon to pass upstream and filters Pacific salmon – an

invasive species – into a holding tank.

Pacific salmon – also known as humpback salmon – were introduced into Russia's

White Sea in the 1950s. Quickly making their way down Norway's coast, they

began wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem. Alongside introducing new

diseases, the invader's rapid reproduction cycle and aggressive competition for

food threatens to overwhelm Atlantic salmon in hundreds of rivers along

Norway's coastline.

In June 2022 under Huawei's TECH4ALL initiative, Huawei and BJFF  deployed the

filtering system to prevent Pacific salmon from entering the upstream channel

of Norway's river system. A mechanical gate allows local Atlantic salmon and

Arctic red-spotted salmon to continue upstream to complete their migratory

spawning process. The invasive species is diverted to a holding tank for

subsequent removal.

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1883649/1.mp4

"This is a unique innovation, both in Norway and globally. With this high-tech

solution, we have complete control of the river. Local river managers and local

and central administrations along the coast have also shown great interest in

the project," said BJFF President Geir Kristiansen.

The demand for a solution was urgent, and one shared by the community,

government departments, regulators, river owners, and the aquaculture industry

– wild Atlantic salmon are an integral part of Norway's identity, culture, and

economy. In recent years, however, the number of Pacific salmon caught in

Norway's rivers by sports anglers has skyrocketed. In 2019, 13,900 were caught,

jumping to a record-breaking 111,700 in 2021 – 57% of all salmon caught in

Norway. While almost all were in Troms and Finnmark, Pacific salmon catches

have been recorded in every county.

In contrast, numbers of the native wild salmon have declined by a quarter from

peak levels. The invasive species is largely responsible, with escaped and less

genetically diverse farmed salmon exacerbating the problem by weakening the

Atlantic salmon's genome after interbreeding.

"Norway's wild salmon are threatened by other species, including humpback

salmon and escaped farmed salmon. The monitoring system using AI is helping to

stop this and enable future-proof river management," said BJFF Administrator

Tor Schulstad.

The data collected can also reveal accurate patterns of migratory behavior,

monitor different types of fish populations, provide information for further

research, and help develop measures to stop overfishing.

"Installing a diversion system in a turbulent river is an extremely challenging

task. I was impressed with the efforts of our partners, BJFF, and the local

community. Here, people aspire to prove the role that good management has in

saving rivers from environmental disasters," said Vegard Kjenner, Technical

Director at Huawei Norway.

As a world first, the solution had to be designed from scratch. In early 2021,

algorithms were designed based on Huawei's machine vision technology to

identify different fish species. Then in July 2021, Huawei and BJFF deployed a

monitoring station equipped with an underwater camera in Storelva River.

Providing a continuous video stream, the hardware coupled with the algorithm

identifies Atlantic salmon with an accuracy of 91% and cuts manual labor

requirements by 90%. Traditional methods are labor-intensive, relying on

volunteers to stand in the river and identify Pacific salmon with the naked

eye, mainly by the spots on their tails. This makes it hard to quantify the

threat – many fish are missed and their sex is impossible to determine.

The next step is to deploy the solution in Norway's salmon farms to reduce the

environmental harm caused by escaped farmed fish.

About TECH4ALL

TECH4ALL is a long-term initiative and action plan that Huawei launched to

promote digital inclusion. Its primary goal is to ensure that no one is left

behind in the digital world. Huawei works with customers and partners to

promote digital inclusion and sustainable development in four domains –

education, environment, health, and development.

Read more:

https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all/environment

Follow:

https://twitter.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALL

SOURCE  Huawei

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=427920

   Caption: Installing & testing the 12-meter filtering system Image credit: Huawei