OBSDEV
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OBServation of marine mammal bycatch and AI-based automatic detections DEVeloppements |
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Research
The OBSCAMe+ program, coordinated by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) under the supervision of the Directorate for Water and Biodiversity (DEB) and the Directorate General for Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA), was established in 2021 to document the issue of bycatch in the Bay of Biscay.
As of 2026, over 100 gillnetters and 14 trawlers are equipped with onboard cameras to record all accidental captures across these fleets. However, the current manual data processing—outsourced to a third-party provider—is unsustainable in the long term, as the system now generates over 100,000 hours of video annually.
To address this challenge, the OBSDEV project is developing AI-based tools to i) Reduce the overall cost of the program, and (ii) Prepare for a future phase where human video review is minimized. This transition aims to ensure scalability while maintaining rigorous monitoring of bycatch events.
People involved
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BOUSSARIE Germain, Chercheur(e) Phone : 02 40 37 41 81 Email : germain.boussarie@ifremer.fr |
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FAILLETTAZ Robin, Chercheur(e) Phone : 0297873812 Email : robin.faillettaz@ifremer.fr |
Funding and Support
Financements FEAMPA successifs (2023-2026 ; 2025-2027 ; 2026-2028)