A SAFE study, carried out by the CIIMAR team, wants to obtain high precision fish weight data, without the stressful physical handling of the animals. The system is currently being developed for trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) using a smart imaging system, that entails high-precision 3D cameras connected to software with an embedded Machine Learning algorithm. This setup enables for the computation of three-dimensional spatial positioning of the fish contour, facilitating precise morphological measurements. The system is currently installed in three 400 L tanks, connected to a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for laboratory tests.

Here we see the setup of the imaging system and pictures of it being used in the laboratory.

The system is designed for use in an actual fish production and will be deployed in the project’s next phase to gather data from operational aquaculture facilities. Preliminary results from the current laboratory trials demonstrates that the system can estimate the mean total length of fish in the tanks and convert it to weight, with an error of less than 2%. We are currently working on the improvement of contour detection and stereo-matching accuracy to reduce the standard deviation and enhance measurement accuracy.