CMFRI urges public support for fisheries research

Unveiled by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, the MARLIN@CMFRI app enables people to upload photos of species across the vast expanse of the Indian exclusive economic zone to create a comprehensive repository of marine fishery resource.

“The app is a collaborative platform that unites individuals passionate about marine conservation”, said Dr A Gopalakrishnan, director of CMFRI.

“By bridging the gap between citizen science and cutting-edge technology, ‘MARLIN@CMFRI’ transforms every user into a crucial contributor to the understanding and preservation of marine biodiversity.”

The data will be used to help develop a sophisticated, AI system for automated identification of marine fishery resources.

Geotagging is a pivotal feature of the app that enables users to pinpoint the exact location where each marine species was landed. This data will provide crucial information for researchers and conservationists studying the distribution patterns of various species within the Indian EEZ.

The app was developed under a project led by Dr Eldho Varghese at the Fishery Resources Assessment, Economics and Extension division of CMFRI. “The knowledge base generated by this application will lead to the creation of an automated system for estimating marine fish landings through visual images captured at landing centres, employing advanced AI-driven deep learning algorithms,” he said.