Innovasea leads US$4.8M AI project for automated fish species identification

CANADA – Global aquatic-technology leader Innovasea is launching a US$4.8 million initiative,  dubbed Species Aware, to develop and test AI-powered fish species identification. 

The project, funded in part by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC), aims to bring automated, real-time monitoring of aquatic biodiversity to hydroelectric facilities across Canada.

The Species Aware project will integrate species-classification models into Innovasea’s existing HydroAI platform, allowing cameras installed at select dams to identify fish species based on visual features such as size, shape, and colour. 

With this technology, hydropower operators will be able to automatically tally fish counts and species composition as fish pass through monitoring stations.

“Through the Species Aware Project, we’re delivering the next wave of AI innovation for fish passage monitoring,” said Innovasea’s CEO, Mark Jollymore. 

“By automating species identification, we’re helping hydropower sites further streamline compliance, reduce downtime, and collect vital data to protect and support their surrounding ecosystem.”

According to Innovasea, the machine-learning models were trained on real-world underwater footage, giving them the ability to reliably distinguish between species in varied environmental conditions. 

The project now moves into a testing phase, where Innovasea and Canadian power-company partners will validate and fine-tune the technology under real-world operating conditions.

“As part of the Species Aware project, we’re excited to develop this new capability, test it across diverse hydropower environments and prove its field effectiveness,” said Innovasea’s Vice President of Research and Development for Fish Tracking, Jean Quirion.

Strategic significance & funding

The OSC is contributing over US$2 million toward the project under Canada’s Pan-Canadian AI Strategy. 

By backing Species Aware along with five other initiatives, OSC aims to advance clean-energy infrastructure while supporting ocean-economy growth, a pillar of its long-term “Ambition 2035” vision, which targets a fivefold expansion of Canada’s ocean economy to C$200 billion.

In a statement, OSC CEO Kendra MacDonald said: “Projects like Species Aware show how Canadian innovation can advance clean energy while protecting biodiversity. By integrating AI into environmental monitoring, we’re unlocking renewable hydropower opportunities, creating high-value jobs, and strengthening Canada’s position as a global leader in sustainable ocean technology.”

Advocates of the project see it as key to making hydropower, a cornerstone of Canadian renewable energy, both more efficient and more ecologically responsible. 

By providing operators with reliable, automated insights into fish migration and species distribution, the system could reduce the need for manual monitoring, cut compliance costs, and inform conservation efforts.

Over the coming months, Innovasea and its industry partners will deploy HydroAI systems embedded with the new species-recognition models at several hydroelectric sites. Performance will be evaluated based on identification accuracy, reliability under variable light and water conditions, and usefulness to dam operators. 

If successful, the technology could be broadly rolled out across Canada and potentially adopted by hydropower operators worldwide.

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.