Estancia, Iloilo Pioneers Deployment of AI Powered Fish Census and Assessment Technology in Western Visayas

The Municipality of Estancia, Iloilo has officially become the first adopter of the FISH-I technology in Western Visayas. Spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Western Visayas through its Community Empowerment thru Science and Technology (CEST) program, the initiative introduces artificial intelligence to the front lines of coastal resource management.

Fish-I is a technology that uses artificial intelligence for fish visual census and rapid reef fish assessment. FISH-I uses an underwater camera system that combines hardware and software to semi-automate fish monitoring, supporting accurate fish monitoring by providing data on fish species identification, total biomass (total weight of living organisms), population abundance, and fish size measurement. It also allows recording and analyzing fish in their natural habitat. Divers help place and retrieve the FISH-I camera underwater, while the system reduces the need for prolonged dives, minimizing risks to divers and ensuring safer monitoring operations. The recorded footage is then saved and uploaded to the FISH-I system, where it is processed for data analysis.

This initiative is expected to help local government units and coastal managers in science-based decisions through improved, data-driven fisheries policies and strengthen marine protection by helping evaluate and improve Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). It is likewise eco-friendly, as it allows observation of marine life without disturbing their natural habitat.Compared to manual surveys, the system provides a faster and more efficient way to assess fish populations while reducing human error.

The FISH-I technology was developed by the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) supported by the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD). This DOST-CEST project is implemented by DOST-Iloilo in partnership with the local government unit of Estancia with the support of Iloilo Provincial Government-LEDIP, BLGU-Bayuyan, BLGU Gogo, Estancia Fishermen Cooperative, and Estancia P4MP Federation of Farmers Association.
Estancia, as a premier commercial fishing hub and a host to one of Northern Iloilo’s advanced port facilities, aims to protect its blue economy and ensure that its reputation for maritime abundance remains intact for future generations.

Through science, technology, and innovation, technologies like FISH-I help LGUs quickly and accurately monitor fish populations and reef conditions. This supports better coastal resource management, promotes sustainable fisheries, and helps protect marine ecosystems for future generations. (RARNazario/DOST Iloilo)

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 (𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛) 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘚&𝘛 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵—𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰.
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