Fisheries Department defends 9-million-baht app after misidentification criticism

The government’s Department of Fisheries defended its 9‑million‑baht Thailand FishAI smartphone application on Saturday after social media outrage over misidentifications and doubts about its value.

Officials said on Sunday that the one‑year prototype can currently identify about 50 species and links to a 2,000‑entry library while users submit images to help improve accuracy.

Launched to modernise the fisheries sector, Thailand FishAI is an app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify fish species from photos and connects users to a library of more than 2,000 aquatic animals and plants.

The department has also partnered with disaster‑response organisations to deploy drones to improve field operations.

The app drew widespread attention on social media after users posted apparent errors — for example, a photograph of deep‑fried dough sticks was reportedly identified as a goldfish, while a clear image of a fish was labelled “unable to identify.”

Public debate intensified after reports that the project’s development budget exceeded 9 million baht.

In its statement, the department, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, said the current version is a prototype developed over one year. It can identify roughly 50 species, including some freshwater, rare, ornamental and commercially important varieties. 

Officials urged the public to consider the app’s early‑stage status, submit images to experts through the app to help improve the database and accuracy, and consult the app’s library for information on more than 2,000 aquatic species.