TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed that a new software called iSharkFin could help protect endangered shark species and fight illegal trade in shark fins, Antara News reported.
"The new software allows for the quick identification of species of the iconic fish," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing at UN’s base in New York.
"It is a tool for custom officers and inspectors at fish markets as well as for fishermen keen on avoiding the capture of protected species.”
The software was worked on after five shark species were added to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), said the spokesman.
Xinhua reported that iSharkFin allows people without formal taxonomic training to identify different species of shark by uploading photographs. The user then chooses several key points of the fin shape along with identifying a few other characteristics, and an algorithm compares the information with iSharkFin's memory bank and identifies the shark species.
Many of those species are the ones most frequently traded internationally and use of the software may allow authorities to uncover long-running mystery over the actual weight of global shark fishing.
The challenges of effective management in high seas areas, including responsible fishing and conservation of species at risk, are being discussed this week at a high-level workshop at FAO.
ANTARA NEWS | XINHUA | FITRI S | INDRAS WULANDARI
