RAZOR: Using AI to save the wild Atlantic salmon

In the far north of Norway, wild Atlantic salmon have always been more than just fish. They are part of identity, tradition, and economy — so much so that locals speak of laksefeber, salmon fever, to describe their passion. But in recent years, the species has come under attack from an aggressive outsider: the Pacific pink salmon. 

Introduced to Russia in the 1960s, the pinks have now invaded Norway's rivers, outcompeting native salmon for spawning grounds and polluting waterways when they die en masse.

On the Tana River, once Europe's best salmon river, locals still rely on muscle and tradition, building huge wooden traps to separate natives from invaders. But on smaller rivers, the fight has taken a modern turn. 

In Finnmark, the Berlevåg Hunting and Fishing Association partnered with Huawei Norway to create a groundbreaking solution: an AI-powered fish trap. Cameras scan every fish within milliseconds and, with remarkable accuracy, decide whether to let an Atlantic salmon swim free or divert a pink salmon into a holding tank.

In one season alone, the system removed more than 6,000 pink salmon from a single river. 

"Ninety-four percent of Atlantic salmon were let through automatically," says Vegard Kjenner, Huawei Norway's CTO. "That's a big step forward." For Huawei, better known as a global technology giant, the project is part of its TECH4ALL initiative, applying innovation to environmental challenges. 

The company has worked side by side with local fishermen, adjusting designs to respect the instincts of the salmon and the knowledge of the community.

The scale of the problem remains daunting. Hundreds of rivers are threatened, and climate change makes the task harder with unpredictable floods and shorter installation windows. Yet the mix of tradition, local dedication, and Huawei's AI technology gives hope that Norway can turn the tide.

For those who live along these rivers, giving up is not an option. The wild Atlantic salmon is part of who they are — and thanks to an unlikely alliance between fishermen and engineers, salmon fever may yet have a future.