Fisheries Officers in Vanuatu Get a High-Tech Boost—AI Leads the Way with the New Ikasavea App!

Fisheries Officials in Vanuatu can now increase their efficiency with Ikasavea, an AI-powered app that can accurately identify fish!

Training Boosts Fisheries Officers’ Skills in AI Fish Identification

The Vanuatu Fisheries Department (VFD) is advancing its efforts to support Ni-Vanuatu communities in managing their coastal fisheries by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accurately identify fish species, reports the Vanuatu Daily Post. To enhance these efforts, fisheries officers underwent specialised training on the Ikasavea app, a Pacific-developed AI tool that helps in monitoring Community-Based Fisheries Management (CBFM). This training, conducted on August 2nd by a Fisheries Monitoring Analyst from the University of Wollongong, equipped VFD staff with the knowledge to teach the AI system to identify fish more accurately.

Ikasavea App Enhances Coastal Fisheries Monitoring

The Ikasavea app includes a ‘Community Survey’ module, specifically designed to aid in collecting and analysing data for CBFM across the Pacific. During the training, participants learned to verify the AI’s fish identification to improve its accuracy over time. The app’s innovative capabilities promise to streamline fisheries management, allowing communities to document and monitor their catches more efficiently.

Expanding Vanuatu’s Fisheries Program with AI Support

The data used in the AI training were collected from various coastal communities in Vanuatu and will be validated by VFD’s CBFM unit, finfish biologists, and data teams over the next two months. This initiative, co-funded by the Australian Government, represents a significant step forward in scaling up Vanuatu’s community-based fisheries program, ensuring sustainable management of marine resources.

(Visit Vanuatu Daily Post for the story)

*An AI tool was used to add an extra layer in the editing process for this story.