New Technology Uses Machine Learning to Tackle Tortoiseshell Trade
By Brad Nahill
The SEE Shell app uses machine learning to evaluate images of suspected tortoiseshell products and to determine whether they are made of genuine or faux material.
A new mobile application (app) has been added to the global toolkit to address the illegal trade of products made from hawksbill shell (tortoiseshell). Called SEE Shell, the app uses machine learning to evaluate images of suspected tortoiseshell products and to determine whether they are made of genuine or faux material. Introduced as part of Too Rare to Wear, which is a campaign led by the nonprofit SEE Turtles, the app enables tourists as well as law enforcement and wildlife officials to quickly identify products made of authentic tortoiseshell.
Despite international laws prohibiting it, the tortoiseshell trade is active in at least 40 countries and remains one of the biggest threats to hawksbills globally. Travelers are the primary consumers of the products in many places; the SEE Shell app will help travelers avoid accidentally purchasing genuine tortoiseshell products. Reports by app users will also help to improve tracking of the illicit trade.
SEE Shell is highly accurate at discerning whether a photo taken by the user shows an item made from real hawksbill shell or other materials, such as resin, horn, bone, seashell, or coconut shell; it can determine content with at least 94 percent accuracy. The application uses deep learning technology that compares user photos with a library of more than 4,000 real and artificial tortoiseshell products. As images are added to the catalog from locations around the world, a clearer understanding of the illegal tortoiseshell trade will emerge, providing information about where trade enforcement and hawksbill conservation are most needed.
Partner organizations in Indonesia and Latin America have helped to test the app in the field and will train local law enforcement officials in its use to help document the existence of tortoiseshell trade in their regions. Participating organizations include Turtle Foundation (Indonesia), Fundación Tortugas del Mar (Colombia), Latin American Sea Turtles Association (Costa Rica), the Leatherback Project (Panama), Sos Nicaragua, and the World Wildlife Fund (also known as the World Wide Fund for Nature) and its Indo-Pacific affiliates.
This article originally appeared in SWOT Report, vol. 17 (2022) as part of the feature “Hawksbills: The Most Beautiful of Sea Turtles.” Click here to download the complete article as a PDF.
Author Affiliations
BRAD NAHILL, SEE Turtles, Oregon, U.S.A.