The oceans are one of our great challenges as a species, not only because of the many mysteries they hide, but because we are at a critical point for their conservation. With these issues in mind, the X division of Alphabet (Google’s umbrella company) has announced Tidal , a project that aims to use technologies to better understand what happens in the underwater world.
“One of the biggest barriers to protecting the ocean and our future is that we don’t know much about what is happening underwater. Although it covers 70% of the planet, most of it remains unexplored. We know more about the surface of the Moon than about the deepest parts of the ocean floor, ”says Neil Davé, General Manager of Tidal.
“This is partly because it is an incredibly challenging environment for technology. The pressure is overwhelming and communication extremely difficult (GPS and WiFi don’t work underwater ). Additionally, salt water kills electronics, making long-term monitoring difficult. Humanity is pushing the ocean beyond its breaking point, but we cannot protect what we do not understand, ”he adds.
In order to achieve its main goal, Tidal has developed a system that would combine underwater cameras with computer vision and other artificial intelligence techniques. The mix of technologies would make it possible to track and monitor thousands of fish individually throughout their growth.
By recording feeding behavior and environmental data such as temperature and oxygen levels, fish farmers have useful data at their fingertips to manage their businesses. Davé also assures that the system can present “an opportunity to alleviate the pressure on wild fishing if we make aquaculture very attractive from an operational and environmental perspective.”
An opportunity for the ocean and humanity
The official underlines that “fish have a low carbon footprint in relation to other sources of animal protein and play a fundamental role in feeding 3,000 million people today, so” helping aquaculturists could be essential both for humanity and the health of the ocean ”.
According to the Financial Times , Tidal had been in operation for three years and has been testing with cameras installed in some places in Europe and Asia to help track fish species such as salmon or yellowtail surgeon.
The system has been a challenge at the design level. For example, electronic components capable of withstanding extreme cold and high pressure have had to be developed. Tidal’s technology can identify fish behaviors that are not visible to the naked eye . Its software can extract data from thousands of specimens and measure their evolution over time.
Although Tidal’s technology has begun to develop with fish farmers, Alphabet hopes to apply what they have learned to “other fields and problems, with the help of ocean health experts and other organizations eager to find new solutions to protect and preserve this valuable. resource”.
