Reforming Fisheries Control with AI and eDNA (KAVAKE II)

The KAVAKE II project (2025–2027) aims to modernize fisheries control by developing monitoring methods based on computer vision and environmental DNA (eDNA). A key goal of the project is to identify the catch ratio between Baltic herring and sprat. This effort will lay the technological foundation for a catch reporting system that complies with EU requirements, potentially reducing the administrative burden on fishers and enhancing oversight capabilities for authorities.

The project focuses on two distinct technologies: AI-driven computer vision and eDNA analytics. The objective is to develop methods specifically for identifying Baltic herring, sprat, and the most common bycatch fish species, to define the error margins of these methods, and to provide a scientifically validated basis for their application.

The project will develop both technical solutions and assess their compatibility with official systems, evaluating how fisheries control regulations can be practically implemented. The final outcome will be a set of methodological capabilities enabling the transition to digital and automated fisheries monitoring. In the long term, this system could replace manual inspection processes while improving the legal safeguards for fishers.

The project is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund EMFAF.