Nigerian researcher develops AI system to transform marine conservation, fisheries management

Nigerian researcher develops AI system to transform marine conservation, fisheries management

 

A Nigerian researcher, Dolapo Salim Olatoye, is attracting international attention with his groundbreaking work that combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ecology to develop smart monitoring systems capable of transforming marine conservation, fisheries management and biodiversity protection in Nigeria and across West Africa.

Olatoye, currently pursuing a fully funded PhD at the University of Pisa, Italy, said his research focused on developing computer vision and remote-sensing technologies that could enable scientists to automatically monitor marine ecosystems using underwater cameras, satellite imagery and sensor data.

His research, which forms part of two European Union Horizon-funded projects, comes at a time when governments and technology companies worldwide are increasingly deploying AI to tackle environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.

According to him, the systems he is developing use advanced object-detection and ensemble computer vision models to identify marine species automatically, making ecological monitoring faster, more accurate and scalable than traditional manual survey methods.

He noted that while many ecological AI tools are designed by computer scientists with little biological field experience, his approach bridges both disciplines through years of practical fisheries and marine fieldwork in Nigeria and Italy, alongside hands-on expertise in deep-learning engineering.

“I build the detection models myself and deploy them as working software rather than research demonstrations,” Olatoye explained, adding that the goal is to create practical tools that close the gap between field science and engineering.

The researcher began his academic journey at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, where he studied Fisheries and Aquaculture and graduated as the best student in his department during the 2018/2019 academic session.

His outstanding academic performance earned him a fully funded Master’s scholarship at the University of Salento, Italy, where he graduated with a perfect score before securing another fully funded doctoral scholarship at the University of Pisa, one of Italy’s leading research institutions.

Beyond Europe, Olatoye believes his work holds enormous promise for Nigeria.

With an 853-kilometre coastline along the Gulf of Guinea and some of West Africa’s richest marine resources, Nigeria still meets only about 30 per cent of its annual fish demand through local production.

Experts believe improved scientific monitoring of marine ecosystems could significantly strengthen fisheries management, support conservation efforts and enhance food security.

Nigeria is also among eight Gulf of Guinea nations that signed the Yaoundé Declaration, committing to the sustainable management of ocean resources. The Federal Government has equally identified agriculture as a priority sector under its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, creating opportunities for AI-driven solutions in fisheries and environmental management.

Olatoye said the technologies being developed for marine ecosystem monitoring align closely with these national priorities and could eventually be adapted for use by Nigerian fisheries and conservation agencies.

His work also reflects a growing global movement where leading technology companies are investing heavily in AI-powered biodiversity monitoring.

Google Research has developed SpeciesNet, an AI platform that has processed more than one billion wildlife images and audio recordings from 11 countries to identify animal species automatically.

Similarly, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab recently unveiled Project SPARROW, a solar-powered bioacoustic monitoring system designed to track biodiversity in real time.

According to Olatoye, these initiatives demonstrate that AI is no longer being used merely to automate data collection but to revolutionise how scientists understand and protect ecosystems.

As part of his commitment to open science, Olatoye is also developing EcoQuad, a software platform emerging from his research.

The tool has already been adopted as instructional material for teaching at the University of Pisa and is designed to be openly accessible, allowing researchers and institutions to adapt it to local needs.

He expressed the hope that Nigerian and West African scientists would not have to depend entirely on imported technologies but would instead develop and customise world-class AI tools locally.

“My ambition is to build open, reproducible monitoring systems that meet the same standards as those developed by leading research groups in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada,” he said.

He added that by making such tools accessible, researchers across Africa would be better positioned to participate fully in the global scientific community while addressing local environmental and food security challenges through home-grown innovation.