Vancouver startup ThisFish will be presenting their technology in the seafood processing sector at Seafood Expo North America, which takes place in Boston on March 12th through 14th.
The tech, dubbed TallyVision, combines the latest in cutting-edge camera and computer vision technology to enable automated, continuous inspection of fish quality.
“Quality control typically involves selecting random fish samples and visually inspecting them for defects,” explains Eric Enno Tamm, cofounder of ThisFish, one of several regional companies innovating the food sector in BC and beyond. “It’s a slow, manual process prone to human error and bias.”
With TalleyVision, water-proof camera captures images of fish fillets passing on a conveyor belt and then a machine-learning algorithm counts and measures the fillets, classifies their colour, and identifies different types of quality defects.
“TallyVision automates inspection and provides production managers with data unparalleled in its detail, precision, and accuracy,” says Tamm, who serves as chief executive of the AI startup.
TallyVision was developed in partnership with Orca Specialty Foods, a smoked salmon processor based in Surrey, BC. ThisFish worked with Orca to develop a computer vision algorithm for salmon fillet inspection, both farmed and wild species.
The algorithm classifies colour according to the 14-point SalmoFan scale and identifies defects including inoculation scarring, bruising, and softness on fish fillets.
“We can now inspect every fish fillet for quality and then provide this data back to fishing companies and aquaculture farms to help them improve quality in the future,” remarked David McKinnon, Owner and President of Orca Specialty Foods. “The sheer volume of quality data is unprecedented since I now have a picture and analytics of every fish fillet we produce.”
The data from TallyVision is sent to TallyBI, an analytics platform that displays the data in graphs, charts, and dynamic reports.
In 2021, ThisFish won seed research funding from the Aquaculture Innovation Award sponsored by Innovate BC and the B.C. Government.
Funding was also provided by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster.
“We’re proud to partner with and fund ThisFish, a pioneer in artificial intelligence in the seafood sector,” stated Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. “We believe AI can help businesses manage uncertainty and unpredictability in the ocean sector.”
“British Columbia is one of North America’s most vibrant tech and innovation hubs, and ThisFish’s TallyVision is a prime example of how our innovators are providing effective solutions across industries worldwide,” added Raghwa Gopal, CEO of Innovate BC. “It’s been exciting to see … continued success in the seafood sector.”
“I’ve been in the fish processing business for 40 years,” said McKinnon. “I think TallyVision could be a game changer.”
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