Yanmar Marine Systems Co., Ltd. (YMS) launches Automated Fish Counting System using Image Recognition Technology, very useful for professional applications, such as tuna farming. The Company begins accepting orders within Japan.
How fish counting currently works
In fish farming, it is essential to know the number of fish inside each net in order to control production volume and the amount of feed used. Current methods are laborious and time-intensive requiring visually counting underwater images when moving the fish to aquaculture nets.
Furthermore, in recent years as part of a drive towards more sustainable resource management, fishing vessels are required to accurately report the number of young pacific bluefin tuna caught in the wild, which end up being used for breeding at fish farms. Current methods require manual counting of the total number of fish caught.
What changes with image recognition
To tackle this problem and support the aquaculture industry, YMS has developed the Automated Fish Counting System which significantly reduces the time needed to count fish. Yanmar’s Research & Development Center developed image recognition and processing technology and an integrated system including hardware, such as a specially designed underwater camera and image processing computer, to realize real-time automated counting. Under optimal conditions, the system has succeeded in automatically counting tuna with an accuracy of more than 98%. In the future, YMS aims to contribute to greater efficiency and development of the fishing and aquaculture industry by reducing feed costs, cutting work time, and facilitating the accurate reporting of catches.
Main features of the automatic fish counting system
- Standard configuration: underwater camera (including video cable), onboard monitor, image processing computer and dedicated software
- Angle of view of underwater camera can be adjusted by remote control even after the camera is installed underwater, reducing the time required to install and adjust the camera.
- Screen display and correction functionality to enable easy manual counting and correction after automated analysis even for images affected by environmental disturbances.
INFO: www.yanmar.com
