DFO grants Whale Seeker $855,000 to further develop AI technology

Whale Seeker, a Montreal-based artificial intelligence company and Green Marine partner, has received $855,000 in funding from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to develop Möbius, an AI technology to detect marine mammals in real-time to prevent ship collisions and to support the fishing industry.

Founded in 2018, Whale Seeker has already developed technology capable of detecting marine mammals 25 times faster than the human eye. With the new funding, Whale Seeker will collaborate with Edgewise International to provide instantaneous observation data through drone images.

Biologist and Whale Seeker’s CEO Emily Charry Tissier says the new technology will offer better protection for marine mammals while giving people in the fishing industry greater predictability in their activities. The project will begin south of Newfoundland and then extend to other priority areas for the conservation of endangered aquatic species.

This technological advancement, praised by UNESCO's International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence, marks a significant step towards more sustainable fishing practices and harmonious coexistence with marine life.