The Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute, better known as Mila, and Innovasea recently started a new partnership that aims to advance AI development for sustainable fish tracking, protection and production. This partnership will enable Innovasea to bolster its AI adoption, AI-driven innovations, and talent acquisition, while providing Mila students with opportunities to apply their skills towards solving real, meaningful problems in the blue economy.
“AI is transforming how we produce, track and protect marine wildlife,” explained Jean Quirion, Innovasea’s Vice President of Research and Development for Fish Tracking. «Our partnership with Mila will enable us to further advance our AI solutions in other aspects of our offerings and business. We are excited to collaborate with Mila to push our innovation, introduce fresh ideas, and offer students hands-on experience working on AI technologies at Innovasea.»
For her part, Stéphane Létourneau, Executive Vice-President of Mila, said: “We are excited to welcome Innovasea to the Mila community. With Innovasea’s major role in the blue economy, we are pleased to offer our students opportunities to work on projects that will advance marine environmental research and drive sustainable aquaculture.”
MILA Symposium
Some weeks after the announcement, members of Innovasea participated at the MILA Symposium, that took place in the headquarters of the center. «Big thanks to the MILA team for hosting such an inspiring event — and for helping us explore how AI can help protect and understand our oceans like never before,» said the Innovase participants.
«We’re thrilled to be partnering with MILA – Quebec AI Institute to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence in the blue economy. From smarter aquaculture to sustainable ocean monitoring, our collaboration is all about making waves where tech meets the tide,» they added.
At the Forefront of Development for Fish Tracking and Fish Production
The members of MILA highlighted that Innovasea has been at the forefront of AI development for fish tracking and fish production with its HydroAI and BiomassPro solutions. Through the partnership, the global player in technologically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish tracking, has already hired its first student, working on Innovasea‘s HydroAI solution. As part of their internship, they’ll play a vital role in helping to train the AI models that count fish and identify different species.
«We are thrilled to bring in students from the program,» said Mark Kilfoil, Director of Software Engineering at Innovasea. «This work will directly advance HydroAI‘s capabilities while providing them an amazing opportunity to gain real-world experience with cutting-edge AI technology.»
HydroAI is Innovasea’s AI-powered solution for 24/7 fish counting and species identification at hydropower sites. It allows operators to automatically capture and analyze continuous footage of migrating fish passing through the structure. This real-time data allows sites to improve environmental compliance, assess the effectiveness of their fish passages, and inform future conservation efforts through enhanced species understanding.
Meanwhile, BiomassPro solution leverages AI to estimate the size and weight of fish stocks for fish farms and hatcheries. Through accurate growth projections, farm managers can make data-driven decisions that improve resource planning, minimize feed waste and bring more sustainably produced protein to the market faster. Today, BiomassPro offers algorithms for six species, with new algorithms currently in development.
Full End-to-End Solutions for Fish Farming and Aquatic Species Research
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, they 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.
1,300 Specialized Researchers in Machine Learning
Founded by Professor Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal, Mila is the world’s largest academic research center for deep learning, bringing together over 1,300 specialized researchers in machine learning. Based in Montreal and funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Mila’s mission is to be a global center for scientific advancements that inspire innovation and the growth of AI for the benefit of all.
Mila is a globally recognized non-profit organization for its significant contributions to deep learning, especially in the fields of language modeling, automatic translation, object recognition, and generative models.
Mila is the Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute, a research center located in Montreal, Quebec. The institute is known for its collaborative approach, bringing together researchers from various universities and industries. Mila was initially known as the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA) before incorporating under its current name in 2017.
