Singapore-A new mobile application released yesterday (June 7th) leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline bailiffs’ fight against illegally traded sharks and layfins passing through Singapore. Useful for.
Fin Finder can identify shark and ray species when users upload a photo of the fins to the app. The app’s algorithm does this by analyzing the size, shape, and pattern of the fins.
The National Parks Board (NParks), the non-profit organization Conservation International, and Microsoft Singapore have collaborated to work on the app since September last year.
Dr. Adrian Loo, Group Director of Wildlife Management at NParks, said fins entering Singapore now need to be visually inspected and officers compare the fins to guides to show which species are approved for trading. I said there is.
Samples were sent to DNA testing to see if the fins were derived from species regulated in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora Species (cited) with shark seeds. The genus is determined. It can take up to a week.
Dhanushri Munasinghe, project coordinator at Conservation International Singapore, used the app to reduce that time to less than a minute and provide executive officers with near-instant feedback on whether cargo contains regulated fins. It says it can be done.
She added that the app can identify species with up to 89% certainty, eliminating the need for DNA testing unless the app cannot identify fins.
N Parks and Singapore Customs executives will begin using FinFinder in the third quarter of this year to inspect the shipment of fins passing through Singapore’s port of entry.
Dr. Loo said: “Fin Finder allows bailiffs to perform quick preliminary assessments in the field by increasing the efficiency of shipping verification.
“This app also serves as a reference for executives by providing information on where these (shark and ray) species are found and where they are traded.”
The beta version of Fin Finder uses a database of over 15,000 images of shark and ray fins to identify more than 30 species of sharks and rays, 14 of which are listed in Cites II.
The species listed on Cites II are trade regulated and monitored and cannot be imported without permission.
Munasinghe said: “Sharks and rays play an important role in maintaining marine ecosystems by controlling the population of other fish.
“If stripped from our oceans, it would have disastrous consequences for the health of the oceans that affect us and our food security.”
