Taiwanese scientists have developed an algorithm that could tell when lobsters are about to molt, in a technological breakthrough that can be a boon for aquafarms supplying the soft-shell crustacean delicacy.
The computer-based image recognition system — which detects a molting lobster through changes in behavior, carapace shedding, activity frequency and other visual clues — could help aquafarms save labor, the state-run Fisheries Research Institute said on Friday in a news release.
A lobster farm with 10,000 cages can save 20 to 30 percent of time with the system, said Cheng Ming-chung (鄭明忠), the researcher who designed it.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
By tracking the movements of the crawfish and taking exact carapace measurements, the system can identify the lobsters that are about to molt and predict the time the change is to happen, he said.
The lobsters under observation are assigned a color code, with green meaning no action required, while yellow indicates that the specimen is to molt in 24 hours and red indicates that the staff should prepare to harvest immediately, Cheng said.
As lobsters readily devour members of their own kind, harvesting lobsters within 30 minutes of molting is crucial for farms, Cheng said.
Individual cages can prevent the loss of a recently molted lobster to cannibalism, but the unpredictability of molting cycles means that a round-the-clock watch must be kept, which is cost-prohibitive, he said.
Many gourmet restaurants specializing in French or Japanese cuisine seek soft-shell lobsters, he said, adding that such crawfish is worth NT$2,000 per kilo, which is double the price of regular lobsters.
The system’s ability to reduce reliance on manual labor has significant advantages to the industry, Cheng said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS