Innovasea is leading a $4.8 million project to develop and test AI-powered fish species identification technology at hydropower sites. This initiative, dubbed Species Aware, is one of six new projects funded in part by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster.
Innovasea, one of the global leaders in technologically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish tracking, is leading a new $4.8 million project, which is aimed at enabling hydropower sites to automatically identify fish species.
This initiative, dubbed Species Aware, is one of six new projects funded in part by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC). As part of this operation, Innovasea will partner with Canadian-based power companies to test its new, automated fish species identification models at select hydro dams.
“Through the Species Aware Project, we’re delivering the next wave of AI innovation for fish passage monitoring,” said Mark Jollymore, Innovasea’s CEO. “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.”
The species classification capabilities will be integrated into Innovasea’s HydroAI product, an AI-powered solution designed to automatically provide accurate, real-time fish counts. The new models, which were trained on real-world footage, utilize a series of visual features – including size, shape, and color – to automatically identify fish species as they pass in front of the system’s cameras, Innovasea highlights.
This next, crucial step is expected to allow Innovasea to test and fine-tune the solution, preparing it for real-world deployment.
“The ability to accurately classify fish species ushers in a new level of monitoring capability for HydroAI,” commented Jean Quirion, Innovasea’s Vice President of Research and Development for Fish Tracking. “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.”
The OSC is contributing more than $2 million to the project as part of Canada’s Pan-Canadian AI Strategy. Projects like this support the Canadian ocean community’s Ambition 2035 goal, led by the OSC, which aims to grow Canada’s ocean economy fivefold, to $200 billion, by 2035. Species Aware will help Canada further strengthen its clean energy sector by providing greater certainty in hydropower operations and supporting its climate action goals.
“Projects like Species Aware show how Canadian innovation can advance clean energy while protecting biodiversity,” said Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. “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.”
