FishEyeQ: automation of inline sorting, quality assessment, and extraction of fishery data using real-time computer vision

Why this project?

"From sea to plate: automatic quality assessment and reliable data as the key to sustainable fishing."

Fish is an important source of healthy food, but sustainable management of fish stocks requires reliable data on exactly what is being caught and processed. Today, assessing fish quality and collecting biological data is still largely done manually, which is time-consuming and gives only a limited picture. FishEyeQ wants to change that by using artificial intelligence and advanced image processing to automatically identify, measure, and evaluate fish. This way, the project contributes to a more transparent food chain, better-informed decisions for sustainable fishery management, and a future-proof fishing industry.

Research approach and expected results

FishEyeQ is an ICON project that brings researchers and companies together. The project combines strategic basic research with a proof-of-concept at the fish auction for new mechatronic, multimodal sensor, and AI methods for positioning, inspecting, and evaluating fish.  

The goal is an automated system that can sort and assess fish faster and more objectively through:

• A proof-of-concept for automatically separating, positioning, and inspecting different types of fish at high speed.
• A robust AI and vision system for automatic quality control, species recognition, and gathering biological traits of fish.
• More accurate and objective data on incoming fish, available in near real time.
• A link between biological data and fisheries data, giving fishers, researchers, and policymakers better insight into fish stocks and catches.
• New opportunities for data-driven and more sustainable fisheries management thanks to much finer monitoring of fish supplies than is currently possible.

Target group

The primary target audience of FishEyeQ is made up of fish processing companies and technology companies. But all food processing companies will be able to find inspiration in this project on inline quality assessment. In addition, the project supports researchers and policymakers with high-quality data for sustainable fisheries management.

Project partners 

Flanders’ FOOD supports the project consortium in spreading knowledge and, where possible, connects it with past, ongoing, and future projects. The project partners are:

• KU Leuven
• ILVO
• Hogeschool Vives Zuid
• Marelec
• Vlaamse Visveiling
• FB Construct

Keen to join?

For the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), we are looking for interested food companies (based in or outside of Flanders) with an interest in inline sorting and quality assessment, robot-driven food processing, as well as technology providers in the field of automation, computer vision, and robotics. The IAB will provide input for this project to achieve results that can be translated into a business or valorization trajectory.

Participation fee and terms and conditions

Requirements to join the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB):

1. Being a member of De Blauwe Cluster or Flanders’ FOOD
2. Participation in IAB meetings (1-2 times a year, for a project duration of 3 years)

Benefits of participating:

• Opportunity to propose valorization strategies and implementation actions.
• Intermediate knowledge about results and progress during the meetings.
• Opportunity to communicate directly with the research team during specific bilateral talks/meetings, before, during and after the project.