Did you know that more than 160,000 kilograms of fins from CITES-listed sharks and rays have entered Singapore borders between 2012 and 2020?
Those fins belong to approximately 1,000 species of sharks and rays globally, of which over 30 species are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II for regulated trade.
To combat illegal wildlife trade, officers from the Singapore National Parks (NParks) can now use a mobile app that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to visually identify illegally traded shark and ray species.
Called Fin Finder, the mobile app was created by a Singapore-led team from Conservation International in consultation with NParks with support from the Microsoft AI for Earth programme. It runs on Microsoft Azure and was developed in just nine months.
Fin Finder allows NParks’ officers to take photos of fins that will be matched against a database of over 15,000 shark and ray fin images via an AI-driven algorithm in the app.
The app provides visual identification of shark and ray species onsite in a few seconds with an accuracy of 89%. This empowers officers to quickly flag suspicious fin shipments for further DNA testing to stop the illegal trade of shark and ray fins. Since the app relies on AI, its accuracy is expected to increase as more training data is being fed into it over time.
See also: Testing QA New Section BDC Feature Winner 1
Using Fin Finder is an improvement over the previous process, wherein NParks’ officers had to manually identify the species of the fins collected before sending them for DNA testing if necessary. The paper-based identification method took an average of up to one week.
Additionally, NParks’ officers will also leverage Fin Finder as a single-platform directory of relevant shark and ray species.
The app offers onsite access to reference materials that can be used to validate CITES-approved permits or shipping documents. This feature is expected to reduce the time and effort spent on shipment validation, enabling officers to help put a stop to illegal wildlife trade more quickly.
See also: Unpublished article shouldnt be accessible testing
“By using advanced technology in the creation of Fin Finder, we can strengthen the enforcement against the illegal trade of sharks and ray species following CITES regulation, and boost Singapore’s capabilities in conserving precious biodiversity. The collaboration with Microsoft and Conservation International also reinforces the importance of collective efforts among the public and private sector in combating illegal wildlife trade,” says Dr Adrian Loo, group director of Wildlife Management at NParks.
Dhanushri Munasinghe, project coordinator at Conservation International Singapore adds: “Sharks and rays play an important role in maintaining marine ecosystems by keeping other fish populations in check. If stripped from our oceans, there would be dire consequences for ocean health, which would affect us, and our food security.
“As one of the world’s most significant transhipment hubs, Singapore is well-positioned to combat illegal wildlife trade. Conservation International, supported by Microsoft and other partners, is excited to support Singapore and the Singapore National Parks Board’s leadership in conservation through the creation of Fin Finder.”
She adds that since illegal wildlife trade is a transnational issue, Conservation International is looking to work with organisations across the region to scale the use of Fin Finder. It also plans to add new features to the app based on feedback from NParks’ officers.
Fin Finder is a project in Microsoft AI for Earth, a global programme that supports organisations applying responsible AI and cloud computing to address critical environmental issues.
“By taking AI tools out of the lab and putting it into the hands of experts in the field, we can accelerate new solutions for a better world. That’s why we are proud to support Fin Finder as it protects global shark and ray populations and preserves our ocean life.
"By conserving wildlife with help from technology, future generations can enjoy our natural world, as we empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more,” says Richard Koh, chief technology officer of Microsoft Singapore.
