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.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS