In Norway’s icy rivers, a high-tech battle is raging to save the wild Atlantic salmon — a species deeply woven into local culture and livelihoods. But an unwelcome guest, the Pacific pink salmon, is threatening this ancient balance. 🌊
Introduced in Russia decades ago, these invasive 'pinks' are now invading Norwegian waters, outmuscling native salmon for spawning grounds. On the iconic Tana River, fishers still use massive wooden traps to manually sort the fish. But in Finnmark, tech meets tradition: AI-powered cameras scan fish in milliseconds, separating endangered Atlantic salmon from invaders with 94% accuracy. 📸🔍
‘It’s like giving the river a pair of smart glasses,’ says Vegard Kjenner of Huawei Norway, whose TECH4ALL initiative developed the system. In one season, it removed over 6,000 pinks from a single river while letting native fish swim free. The project blends Huawei’s AI with local fishers’ knowledge — think Viking-era wisdom meets Silicon Valley innovation. ⚔️💻
But challenges remain: Climate change brings unpredictable floods, and hundreds of rivers need protection. Still, this unlikely alliance between tech giants and salmon guardians shows how innovation can defend both ecosystems and cultural heritage. As one fisher puts it: ‘Salmon aren’t just fish here — they’re family.’ 👨👩👧👦🐟
