Application of Feature Point Matching Technology to Identify Images of Free-Swimming Tuna Schools in a Purse Seine Fishery

Qinglian Hou,Junbo Zhang,Cheng Zhou,Feng Xue,Rong Wan

doi:10.3390/jmse9121357

Qinglian Hou, Junbo Zhang + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9121357

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Abstract

Tuna fish school detection provides information on the fishing decisions of purse seine fleets. Here, we present a recognition system that included fish shoal image acquisition, point extraction, point matching, and data storage. Points are a crucial characteristic for images of free-swimming tuna schools, and point algorithm analysis and point matching were studied for their applications in fish shoal recognition. The feature points were obtained by using one of the best point algorithms (scale invariant feature transform, speeded up robust features, oriented fast and rotated brief). The k-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm uses ‘feature similarity’ to predict the values of new points, which means that new data points will be assigned a value based on how closely they match the points that exist in the database. Finally, we tested the model, and the experimental results show that the proposed method can accurately and effectively recognize tuna free-swimming schools.

Highlights

Purse seine fishing is a sophisticated fishing method that involves a series of advanced technologies to aid the process of fish detection, attraction, and capture
Catches for fish aggregating device (FAD)-associated fish schools account for approximately 78% of the total landings in the Chinese tuna seine fishery [1,2], due to the negative effects that FAD exerts on pelagic ecosystems [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10], this fishing method has been limited by tuna Regional Fisheries
2008, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission proposed the implementation of a seasonal ban on tuna fishing with driftwood in the exclusive economic zones and high seas of the members of the Nauru Agreement

Summary

Introduction

Purse seine fishing is a sophisticated fishing method that involves a series of advanced technologies to aid the process of fish detection, attraction, and capture. Fish schools targeted by purse seining can be divided into unassociated schools (e.g., freeswimming schools) and log- or fish aggregating device (FAD)-associated schools. 2008, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission proposed the implementation of a seasonal ban on tuna fishing with driftwood (or FADs) in the exclusive economic zones and high seas of the members of the Nauru Agreement. Since 2009, the fishing ban has been gradually extended from two months to four months, and the fishery ban provisions of the conservation and management measures for fishing member states in 2019 included a three-month closure of FADs in exclusive economic waters (July to September, including releasing FADs and casting nets) and two consecutive months (April to May and November to December) of high-seas FAD closures.

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