A new crab gender identification technology powered by artificial intelligence could herald a revolution in fisheries management.
The latest research from Japan shows that the new technology outperformed human fishermen by some margin when it came to identifying gender in horsehair crabs.
Horsehair crabs, locally known as “kegani,” are a seasonal delicacy in Japan. However, serious restrictions are in place on the catch due to their popularity. For instance, in some locations, catching females is strictly prohibited.
However, while it’s easy to tell the crab’s gender from the underside, it’s very difficult from the side-on view. Add the fact that most crabs landed settle on their legs, and fishermen have to take the time-consuming task of picking each one up individually and flipping it over to determine its sex.
The researchers used AI to be able to accurately determine whether a crab is male or female from the side-on view. Researchers hope this new technology can significantly reduce the stress on crabs, which can be identified by sex quickly and returned to the water where appropriate.
You can find the original research here.
