STOCKHOLM — Vattenfall, a prominent Swedish government-owned multinational power company, has unveiled its innovative application of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify fish species at the Stornorrforsen hydro power plant, facilitating enhanced monitoring, categorization, and analysis of fish movements. The technology represents a significant advancement in managing fish traversing fish ladders adjacent to hydro power plants and monitoring the evolutionary trajectory of species over time. Situated in the Umeälven River in northeast Sweden, the Stornorrforsen plant, one of the nation’s largest, witnessed the installation of a new fish ladder in 2010, marking the inception of Vattenfall’s endeavor to develop a sophisticated fish recognition system aimed at facilitating seamless tracking of fish migrations, according to a press release published on EuropaWire.

Gender recognition in spawning salmon, however, remains a technical hurdle, prompting personnel at Stornorrforsen to perform manual and visual gender identification to monitor female salmon returns and their movements, particularly early in the spawning season. Vattenfall is committed to refining the technology to enable more accurate differentiation between female and male salmon, especially during the initial phases of the spawning cycle.

Leveraging AI algorithms, the system adeptly identifies fish based on diverse characteristics, enabling Vattenfall to monitor the influx of farmed salmon released into the Umeälven River and track their return rates, while also tracing the migratory patterns of wild salmon to adjacent watercourses like the Vindelälven river.

Patrik Andreasson, Specialist for Research & Development at Vattenfall, articulated the company’s efforts to enhance the AI’s capabilities, particularly in gender recognition, emphasizing the ongoing commitment to technological refinement. Andreasson also underscored Vattenfall’s transparent approach, facilitating knowledge sharing and collaboration within the industry. He highlighted the availability of over 20,000 annotated fish images on the company’s website, aimed at fostering innovation and algorithm development across the sector.

Vattenfall’s pioneering initiative signifies a proactive stance in safeguarding aquatic biodiversity and underscores its dedication to fostering technological advancements for environmental conservation.