2023-09-18 02:40:10
Ireland’s Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) and Huawei have released the latest key findings on protecting marine life in Ireland, discovered during their joint work on the Smart Whales Sounds project. The announcement took place during the OceanTech Summit at the Irish Baltimore Castle.
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On September 14, 2023, Huawei and the Ireland Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) jointly released the latest research on the marine life conservation in Ireland. (Photo: Huawei)
Shipping lanes in the southern Irish Celtic Sea are contributing significantly to noise pollution in the marine environment, the joint study found. Previous research has shown that ocean noise can affect several marine species, including seals, fish and even squid; and can threaten the survival of whales.
So far, the real-time multi-species detection system has shown that it has practical implications for marine conservation. It provides real-time notifications to vessels in areas where whales are present, thanks to its new acoustic data acquisition system. The system can potentially help with the planning of important marine infrastructure, such as offshore renewable energy facilities, to minimize the impact of noise on marine life during the construction phase.
Emer Keaveney, co-founder and chief executive of ORCA Ireland, said:
“Noise from vessels and other human activities in our waters can have an extremely harmful impact on marine life, such as whales and dolphins. Noise from ships, like the low hum of container ships, can mask whale calls, affect animal communication, and affect important life history strategies such as coordinated feeding or moving animals out of important habitats.
“Recent advances in technology provide greater opportunity to use these innovations for good and ensure our understanding of the natural world. To achieve this, we are using ModelArts [plataforma de desenvolvimento de IA] from Huawei and cloud storage, along with machine learning, to automate wildlife monitoring for marine conservation.”
Luis Neves, CEO of the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative, commented:
“The work of capturing sound in the oceans and harnessing the power of AI and big data analytics to improve our understanding of marine ecology and its complex interactions with various threats is of paramount importance. This work not only facilitates broader public engagement, but also strengthens the effectiveness of conservation initiatives, ultimately contributing to the survival and well-being of marine species.
“At GeSI, we are proud to have our member Huawei take the lead and use its innovations and sophisticated AI/deep learning models to automatically detect and identify cetacean species and thus support dolphin and whale conservation.”
Luke McDonnell, head of PR at Huawei Ireland, said:
“Huawei believes that no one should be left behind in the digital world, and we have made it our mission to place digital inclusion at a prominent position in our business. In addition to environmental protection, we believe that digital technologies also play a fundamental role in many other areas. Digital technologies such as AI, cloud and 5G are being rapidly integrated and applied extensively across multiple industries. This is facilitating digital transformation and sustainable socioeconomic development, and bringing tangible benefits to society as a whole.”
Since March 2021, ORCA Ireland’s Smart Whale Sounds project has been taking place in partnership with Rainforest Connection (RFCx), with the support of Huawei Ireland through the TECH4ALL initiative, being the first real-time marine bioacoustic study in the country. Preliminary analysis has suggested that the south coast of Ireland is a “hub of activity” for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises). Cetaceans make up almost half of all animals within Ireland’s land and sea borders. Worldwide, marine mammals account for a third of the planet’s animals.
The original language text of this announcement is the official authorized version. Translations are provided as a facility only and must refer to the text in the original language, which is the only version of the text that has legal effect.
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Contact:
Olivia Zhang
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Source: BUSINESS WIRE
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