Computer-Simulated Virtual Image Datasets to Train Machine Learning Models for Non-Invasive Fish Detection in Recirculating Aquaculture

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can assist producers to better manage recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs). ML is a data-intensive process, and model performance primarily depends on the quality of training data. Relatively higher fish density and water turbidity in intensive RAS culture produce major challenges in acquiring high-quality underwater image data. Additionally, the manual image annotation involved in model training can be subjective, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Therefore, the presented study aimed to simulate fish schooling behavior for RAS conditions and investigate the feasibility of using computer-simulated virtual images to train a robust fish detection model. Additionally, to expedite the model training and automate the virtual image annotation, a process flow was developed. The 'virtual model' performances were compared with models trained on real-world images and combinations of real and virtual images. The results of the study indicate that the virtual model trained solely with computer-simulated images could not perform satisfactorily (mAP = 62.8%, F1 score = 0.61) to detect fish in a real RAS environment; however, replacing a small number of the virtual images with real images in the training dataset significantly improved the model's performance. The M6 mixed model trained with 630 virtual and 70 real images (virtual-to-real image ratio: 90:10) achieved mAP and F1 scores of 91.8% and 0.87, respectively. Furthermore, the training time cost for the M6 model was seven times shorter than that for the 'real model'. Overall, the virtual simulation approach exhibited great promise in rapidly training a reliable fish detection model for RAS operations.