Researchers use artificial intelligence to measure fish stress levels

A group led by researchers from the São Paulo State University (Unesp), in Jaboticabal (SP), in collaboration with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), has developed an artificial intelligence tool to evaluate the stress of tambaqui, the most produced native fish in Brazil. The study was published in the journal Aquaculture. The results can have an impact both on increasing animal welfare and on the selection of specimens more tolerant to the cultivation environment. The tambaqui is an Amazonian species cultivated mainly in the northern states. Brazil is the world's largest producer of the species, supplying 110 thousand tons in 2022. "First, we verified that, in a stressful condition, that is, in a more confined environment than usual, the fish became darker. Then, that the addition of a stress-related hormone also changed the coloration on the scales. So, we trained a software with over 3,000 images to reach a stress threshold that could guide fish farmers ...