James Cook University device to test amount of meat in mud crab

A North Queensland university says it has developed a high-tech device that could help authorities clamp down on the taking of poor-quality mud crabs.

A North Queensland university says it has developed a high-tech device that could help authorities clamp down on the taking of poor-quality mud crabs.

James Cook University said on Tuesday the prototype would allow fishers to “accurately determine the amount of meat in a mud crab”.

JCU Senior Lecturer Eric Wang’s device uses a near-infrared spectrometer and artificial intelligence to grade live crabs based on their meat content.

James Cook University’s Dr Eric Wang tests his prototype device on a mud crab in the lab. PICTURE: Maren Eibner.

The Electronic Systems and Internet of Things expert said the handheld device, which is still undergoing testing, would replace the current practice of pressing a thumb against a crab’s carapace to determine meat content.

Mud crabs are given a grade between A and C, with Grade A considered to contain the most meat.

“It will allow a fisher or a market stallholder to point this device over a crab’s claw or carapace and determine what grade it is so there is no ambiguity around the meat content,” Dr Wang said.

“Right now, a lot of Grade C crabs are caught which isn’t sustainable for the environment, so this is a way to help filter those out.”

James Cook University’s Dr Eric Wang tests his prototype device on a mud crab in the lab. Picture: Maren Eibner.

Dr Wang said he had already been through a couple of thousand samples of mud crabs, all of which were provided by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).

The Rapid Assessment Unit, a joint JCU-DAF organisation, is involved in the project, as is grant facilitator JCU Connect.

James Cook University’s Dr Eric Wang tests his prototype device on a mud crab in the lab. PICTURE: Maren Eibner.

While DAF had themselves already developed the technology being used as a proof-of-concept, Dr Wang said the main challenge was how to make it portable.

“What I’m exploring is how we can make this device affordable, waterproof and easier to carry on the boat, as well as integrate all of the AI algorithms into it,” he said.

“It’s important to get the device to a point where it can eventually be recognised by industry as a reliable tool.

“We need to be able to push the capabilities of it further so it can eventually become a commercial product.”

Dr Wang said pending the success of the device, there was potential for it to be used to measure other types of seafood, such as fish or prawns.

Originally published as James Cook University device to test amount of meat in mud crab