AI system transforming fishmarket sales

New CatchReport system allows buyers to assess fish quality remotely

An innovative AI-enhanced system developed by a UK-based technology firm is aiming to make wholesale buying and selling of seafood more objective and transparent.

CatchReport, by bluecatchAI, uses cameras to capture visuals of seafood as it is landed and sorted to enable registered buyers to view the quality of landings ahead of auction – and all from the comfort of their own home or office.

The system, which has been developed with experienced industry graders and buyers, was initially trialled at Brixham fishmarket in 2022. Tom Goddard, CCO and co-founder of bluecatchAI, told Fishing News that the company had been exploring ways that AI could play a role across supply chains since 2021.

“We saw opportunity in the seafood industry, largely because much of it is purchased ‘blind’, before sale. Not all can get to a market to inspect inventory, and even when they do, it’s often vast numbers of boxes covered in ice – and a 4.30am start. In this digital age, we thought that could be made much more automated and efficient,” he said.

“I had reached out to Brixham fishmarket, and met with some of their management team and had a fantastic tour of the market. They’re looking to create customer value, and we wanted to help them do it, so it was a good match.

CatchReport uses AI technology to capture images of individual fish to enable grading of the handling quality, along with a ‘days on ice’ estimate of landed catch as it is being sorted.

“We started off by putting a camera over a scale for turbot – which can fetch over £30/kg! The visual data complemented Brixham’s existing grading service, and it grew from there.

“Fast-forward to today, and we cover almost all species that land at the market and buyers receive CatchReports from 4am daily, ahead of auction. Markets also have their own management dashboard which includes visual archives and analytics.”

Tom Goddard told FN that the system can benefit not just buyers and sellers, but also fishermen.

“Buyers can view all the inventory from anywhere, allowing them to make more informed decisions, and sellers receive the same information. It can help with disputes, performance, and attracting more interest from existing and new buyers, given the service on offer,” he said.

“Skippers don’t always get to see or inspect what they and their crew work hard to catch. Greater visibility of quality can help with catch methods and handling tactics, which can help fetch a better price.”

As well as collaborating with Brixham fishmarket, the company is also working with other markets, exchanges and processors in the UK, Europe and the United States.

“Some of the applications vary slightly and some of the use cases are very interesting, but all involve machine vision,” said Tom Goddard.

“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive on both sides of the Atlantic. Summed up, it’s making buying and selling more objective and transparent. The risk and guesswork are taken away, which helps price rationalisation.”

For more information, contact Tom Goddard at: info@bluecatchai.com

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.50 here.

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