Innovasea, a global leader in technologically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish tracking, announced today that it is leading a new $4.8 million project, which will enable 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 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.
This next, crucial step will 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,” added 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.”
Footage from HydroAI
About Innovasea
Fueled by leading-edge technology and a passion for research and development, Innovasea is revolutionizing aquaculture and advancing the science of fish tracking to make our oceans and freshwater ecosystems sustainable for future generations. With more than 275 employees worldwide, we provide full end-to-end solutions for fish farming and aquatic species research – including quality equipment that’s efficient and built to last, expert consulting services, and innovative platforms and products that deliver unrivaled data, information, and insights.
Learn more at Innovasea.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky and X.
About Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster accelerates the development and commercialization of made-in-Canada ocean solutions in energy transition, food security, future of transport, and climate change while also growing more companies, creating more jobs, and attracting ocean talent. As Canada’s national ocean cluster, the OSC is a convenor of members, partners, and networks and a catalyst for transformative growth that helps build the robust ecosystem needed to help realize Ambition 2035 – a 5X growth potential in ocean in Canada by 2035. To date, the OSC has approved about 150 projects valued at more than $500 million, which will deliver more than 300 new made-in-Canada ocean products, processes, and services to sell to the world. Learn more at oceansupercluster.ca.
