Classifying oysters using artificial intelligence » AquaVitae

One of the most valuable bivalve molluscs in Sweden is the flat oyster, Ostrea edulis. However, domestic production of oysters fails to meet the demand on the local market at the same time as the Swedish aquaculture industry has difficulties expanding due to limited availability of oyster spat. Traditionally in Sweden, spat for aquaculture have been collected with the help of sea-based collectors, but since the introduction and establishment of the Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) in 2006, the possibility of collecting spat with this field-based technology has drastically decreased. Both flat oysters and Pacific oysters attach to the collectors. Since aquaculture of Pacific oysters is not allowed in Sweden due to that the species is classified as an invasive species, the collected oyster spat must be sorted by species and all Pacific oysters must be destroyed, which is neither practical nor economically feasible for the industry today.