AI spots smuggled seahorses, shark fins and sea cucumbers with 92% accuracy

When we think of wildlife trafficking, we might think of rhino horns or baby orangutans sold as pets—but the smuggling of sea creatures, a less well-known crime, is just as damaging to marine ecosystems. Unfortunately, many commonly smuggled marine wildlife items, like shark fins, can be hidden in baggage or parcels and carried across borders with relative ease, without being detected. To get around this, scientists used AI to develop an algorithm that can detect samples of commonly trafficked sea creatures—shark fins, seahorses, and sea cucumber—with 92% accuracy.