Although they cover over 70% of our planet, only 0.6% of the world oceans are protected. It is estimated that we only know about 1 in 10 species in the ocean, which is unsurprising given that 90% of the ocean is more than half a mile deep and still remains largely unexplored. How might technology help us discover, understand and protect the vulnerable ecosystems below the waterline?
Marine Conservation is a fast-growing group in the WILDLABS community, capturing a wide variety of tech expertise within its member base, including those working with bioacoustic gear and hydrophones, AUVs and drones, sensors, machine learning, and more. By bringing together WILDLABS members from so many areas of conservation tech, the Marine Conservation group is the perfect place to collaborate on big, complex issues like marine biodiversity monitoring, coral reef health, plastic pollution, and sustainability.
The Marine Conservation group forum is also your place to chat about and solve the challenges unique to using conservation technology in marine environments. Whether you're struggling with deep-sea connectivity or salt water impacting gear longevity, or looking for remote solutions for long-term reef monitoring or biologging data collection, this group wants to help you explore the possibilities!
Check out some of the key marine conservation tech resources, conversations, and virtual events from across the WILDLABS platform:
Tutorials and Talks to Watch on Demand:
- Virtual Meetups: Developing cost-effective, open-source marine megafauna tracking, Jake Levenson
- Tech Tutors: How do I use open source remote sensing data to monitor fishing?, Max Schofield
- Virtual Meetups: eDNA for Aquatic Biodiversity, Alice Valentini
Case Studies, Tools, Research, and News:
- Southern Right Whales & Genome and Satellite Technology, Emma Carroll | eDNA & genomics, satellite data, biodiversity monitoring, climate change
- Building Experts Into AI, Whale Seeker | Machine learning, marine conservation, AI ethics
- Using AIS Data to Investigate the World’s Fishing Ports, Max Schofield | Remote sensing, data visualisation, fishing monitoring
- Small-scale fisheries and tech resources, Dan Steadman | Fishery monitoring, webinars, best practices
- Press Release: BAS Giant Iceberg Mission, British Antarctic Survey | Climate change, AUVs, remote sensing
- Case Study: Thermal imaging, drones, and loggerhead sea turtles, Megan Ossmann | FLIR, Duo Pro R camera, drones
- eDNA sampling to detect invasive snails in shipping ballast water, Gavin Shelton | Invasive species, eDNA, shipping
- Sustainable Fishing Challenges: Fish Catch Monitoring, Dan Steadman | Biologging, sensors, fishing monitoring
Conversations and Questions:
- Satellite tags for marine turtle recommendations | Alasdair Davies
- Calling all hydrophone users! | Team Open Acoustic Devices
- How difficult is it to build a buoy and constrain it in place? | Lindy Knowles
- Methods to detect Derelict Fishing Gear | Nandini Mehrotra
- Drone Mapping for Algal Blooms? | Harold Tay
- Minimising habitat impact of trawling gear | Dan Steadman
- Estimating carbon from 3d models of mangroves | Mark Brown
- Can we detect gillnets in turbid water? | Aurélie Shapiro
- New low cost DIY temperature loggers for reef monitoring | Harold Tay
- Machine learning to detect fish bomb blasts | Jamie Macaulay
Header Image: Emma Vogel
- @mariahmeek
- | she/her
Michigan State University
Dr. Mariah Meek is the PI and co-founder of iCatch, an Associate Professor at Michigan State University, and the Director of Research at The Wilderness Society.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @aranFish
- | He/Him
CTO at SafetyNet Technologies
- 1 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @Alex.S
- | She/Her
MSc Marine Biologist and Data Scientist, Co-Founder and CSO & CTO of Galene Pathways
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 8 Groups
- @Cathrine
- | She
Ocean Conservationist
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 2 Groups
Neuroscientist & engineer transitioning to conservation tech. I have experience working with large imaging datasets, pose estimation and positional tracking, and machine learning. Looking to get involved with GIS, remote sensing, and AI for conservation.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 17 Groups
- @Seagoose
- | she/her
Ecologist & Conservationist. Women for the Environment, Africa Fellow. National Geographic Explorer.
- 0 Resources
- 4 Discussions
- 8 Groups
- @SeanB
- | he/him
Cellular Tracking Technologies
Software Engineer at Cellular Tracking Technologies. I'm passionate about developing cutting-edge technology for scientific research and advancing data analysis methods for telemetry devices.
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 6 Groups
Wild Me
- 1 Resources
- 20 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 8 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 5 Groups
Adventure Scientists is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Bozeman, MT that equips scientists and researchers with high-quality data collected from the outdoors that are crucial to addressing environmental challenges around the world.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 16 Groups
WildLabs will soon launch a 'Funding and Finance' group. What would be your wish list for such a group? Would you be interested in co-managing or otherwise helping out?
5 June 2024
Are you passionate about marine wildlife conservation? Excited to network and collaborate with fellow enthusiasts? Join us in launching the Coastal and Marine Wildlife Working Group within The Wildlife Society!
23 May 2024
The GSMA ClimateTech programme is seeking partner research consultant/s for a new project exploring mobile and digital technologies for the blue economy in low- and middle-income countries.
19 May 2024
Do you have photos and videos of your conservation tech work? We want to include them in a conservation technology showcase video
17 May 2024
Article
Read in detail about how to use The Inventory, our new living directory of conservation technology tools, organisations, and R&D projects.
1 May 2024
Article
The Inventory is your one-stop shop for conservation technology tools, organisations, and R&D projects. Start contributing to it now!
1 May 2024
ZSL is looking for an enthusiastic research scientist to join the multidisciplinary team and help deliver a project in Wales to better understand the ecology of tope sharks (Galeus galeus) in North Cardigan Bay and the...
9 April 2024
WWF is looking for consultant(s) with expertise in spatial data mapping and analysis.
19 March 2024
Hussey Labs seeks a senior post-doctoral researcher/senior research associate for movement ecology of Greenland halibut in the context of fisheries management across Baffin Bay-Davis Strait, Eastern Canadian Arctic.
13 March 2024
Whether you’re an aspiring or established entrepreneur, an early-stage startup, or a researcher, apply to the Project 71 – A Venture Competition for Ocean Regeneration. This competition is for you if you have a bold...
4 March 2024
Join the mission to help tackle IUU fishing with cutting-edge tech! The Allan Institute for AI is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to accelerate efforts to make sure those working to restore our ocean have the tools...
21 February 2024
SEE Shell is an innovative phone app that uses machine learning to identify products made from the shell of the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle.
14 December 2023
July 2024
August 2024
October 2024
June 2025
November 2023
event
Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, together with The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit, have announced the launch of... |
|
Marine Conservation | 7 years ago | |
Hello all! There is an upcoming seminar on turtles in Yonkers, NY on Saturday, March 25th. If you care about turtles, you... |
|
Marine Conservation | 7 years 2 months ago | |
We are starting to deploy buoys to demarcate no entry, no-take zones in a recently declared Marine Fisheries Management Area in Cambodia,... |
|
Marine Conservation | 7 years 6 months ago | |
Hi Steph, Sorry for the late reply as I have other commitments currently. In our case, we are using facial scales pattern because we found out that each individual... |
|
Marine Conservation | 7 years 8 months ago | |
This news made me so happy this morning.. a fish chorus, what a delightful thought! And you can even listen to it! |
|
Marine Conservation | 7 years 8 months ago | |
The Niskin bottle, a seemingly simple tube designed to take water samples at discrete depths, is one of the most important tools of... |
|
Marine Conservation | 7 years 11 months ago | |
The Coral Trait Database houses physiological, morphological, ecological, phylogenetic and biogeographic trait information with the... |
|
Marine Conservation | 8 years 1 month ago | |
Algae technology is central to innovation to conserve biodiversity against the threats of climate change. I am part of a global scientific group called Ocean Foresters.... |
|
Marine Conservation | 8 years 1 month ago | |
An upcoming NOAA webinar might be of interest to this group: Ocean Exploration & MPAs: Priorities, Technological... |
|
Marine Conservation | 8 years 2 months ago | |
Hi John, Have you checked out Whale Alert? There may be some scope for applying/adapting the same technology for averting manatee strikes by applying it to the... |
|
Marine Conservation | 8 years 2 months ago | |
A new article argues that aesthically pleasing reefs are healthy reefs: 'This shows that mathematical approaches designed to assess... |
|
Marine Conservation | 8 years 6 months ago |
Report on Conservation and Biodiversity Measures in Henoko-Oura Bay, Okinawa (Japan)
12 July 2018 9:22pm
Big Ocean Button Challenge
16 February 2017 3:40pm
Global Fishing Watch: New Release Online Now
19 May 2017 5:01pm
31 July 2017 5:53pm
Awesome thanks for sharing this Steph!
8 August 2017 3:24pm
@djscrazyhorse Thank you for the question. We think a lot about this. Monitoring vessel activity through satellite AIS is already a well-established practice in the shipping, insurance and commodities industries, and AIS data is already publicly available (Marine Traffic, etc.). AIS was designed to be an open, public communications tool. Vessels that use AIS are intentionally making themselves trackable to everyone around them. Global Fishing Watch shows apparent commercial resource extraction that takes place on the open ocean, not on private property. Our fisheries are a common resource, whether on the high seas that belong to everyone or in the sovereign waters of individual nations.
14 September 2017 11:59pm
Speaking of data interpretation, creating an IUU risk score was the challenge for this team from the Data Science for Social Good summer fellows program. I saw a presentation on it and they were linking AIS information to other data, like registries, recent landings, etc. Supposedly, their work will be open source, posted on GitHub, but I haven't seen a link yet. http://35.177.232.166/
International Marine Protected Areas Congress 2017
8 August 2017 3:32pm
New Plastics Economy: $2 million Innovation Prize
22 May 2017 12:22pm
Turtle Seminar
15 March 2017 2:06pm
Deploying marker buoys to demarcate an MPA
30 November 2016 2:43am
Sea turtle identification through pattern matching
2 July 2016 8:58am
18 July 2016 9:19am
Hi Nazirul,
That is so interesting! My assumption was that you would be using the shell markings as the ID, I hadn't even considered that the facial and fin markings would be a more useful way to diferentiate individuals. I would have thought that getting a look at a turtle's shell would be easier than taking a photo that shows the fins or face in enough detail to analyse - is this not the case? Or do you use the facial scale patterns because the shells do not differ enough between individuals?
I'm also keen to hear more now about your methodology. How to you take your observations? If you're using pattern recognition software and Wildbook, you must be taking photos. Are these remotely triggered (i.e. underwater camera traps), or are they from photos taken by divers or people there monitoring in person?
Kate's link above doesn't seem to be working for me, is there a website we can visit to find out more?
Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
Steph
18 July 2016 9:32am
Hi Jason,
I've had Ibeis and Wildbook on my radar for ages and have been meaning to ask you about the two projects, so this is a neat opportunity! Could you tell us a bit more about the two projects? I have been trying to figure out how they are integrated (and also seperate - it's a bit confusing from the outside!), so I'm interested to find out more about where you hoping to take the project(s).
Is the platform open to anyone interested in analysing images for patterns? How does it work?
Cheers,
Steph
28 September 2016 5:43am
Hi Steph,
Sorry for the late reply as I have other commitments currently.
In our case, we are using facial scales pattern because we found out that each individual have a distinctive scutes pattern (number, position & shape) on their face. Fins pattern are usable as well for identification but due to its complexity, the chances for errors (misidentification) are greater. This however can be solved when we have a more species specific pattern recognition software which can pin-point the exact distinctive features on the fins pattern.
Based on our findings in 2015, we found that facial and fins patterns are more reliable than the shell markings as it provided more details in identifying individuals. There are some individuals with very distinctive shell markings but unfortunetly, it does not apply to the whole population especially the juveniles. Most juveniles have almost similar shell markings.
In Perhentian Islands, observation of sea turtles while snorkeling or diving has become an opportunity for us to conduct the study. We have a team of trained research intern who went out for snorkel survey looking out for turtles every day throughout the season. Whenever a turtle is sighted, one of the research intern will skin-dive and photograph the top view of the turtle and both sides of the face. All the photos are then brought back to the research station and analyse using the pattern recognition software. The reason why we took the top view photo is because it is easier for us to know the sex of the individual when we analysed the photos.
Sorry to tell you that our website is currently not available. We have been trying to bring it back but there is a constant virus & spyware attack. We are now reachable only by Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/perhentianturtleproject/?fref=ts
Regards,
Nazirul
Fish recorded singing dawn chorus on reefs just like birds
22 September 2016 5:02pm
A 3D printable, drone and ROV-mountable, water sampler
22 June 2016 4:28pm
The Coral Trait Database
5 May 2016 3:12pm
Blue Economy Challenge / Sustainable aquaculture for Indian Ocean developing countries
5 March 2016 2:14am
18 March 2016 12:46am
I'll be entering the Blue Economy Challege. Would be really cool to start a conversation and collaboration between community members here and others who join the challenge. What if entrants to the BEC got a link to WildLabs and invited to join this conversation after they submitted their application?
7 April 2016 2:35am
Jamieson, this is a great idea, and although my reply is rather delayed, it is not too late for me to update the message for Blue Economy Challenge applicants! I encourage applicants to the BEC to use this space to continue the conversation about technological innovations that will transform aquaculture.
2 May 2016 11:47am
Algae technology is central to innovation to conserve biodiversity against the threats of climate change. I am part of a global scientific group called Ocean Foresters. Our proposed Haven Atoll system aims to use algae to help save coral biodiversity and reduce ocean acidity. We are seeking partners for the Blue Economy Aquaculture Challenge.
In the northern section of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, 95% of the coral is damaged or dead from excessive ocean heat. Coral bleaching is not limited to Australia, but is occurring in every ocean around the world. CO2 emissions are the cause of the crisis, but the real problem now is that emission reductions alone are just too slow to prevent catastrophic biodiversity loss. Immediate steps are needed to reduce the heat, acidity and nutrients that are killing our reefs. Algae is the key to save reefs by providing cooler and cleaner water in atolls. As Dr Tim Flannery argues in his 2015 book Atmosphere of Hope, the Ocean Foresters have presented compelling argument that large scale deployment of artificial forests of seaweeds, kelps and algae is the most promising response to fixing ocean health and removing CO2.
Ocean Foresters’ key proposal is called Haven Atolls, a system for protecting coral by growing large amounts of marine plants for fuel, food, fertilizer, fabric and fodder. Australia has the need, expertise, resources, locations and innovative culture to lead the world on Haven Atolls, targeted to the coral systems under most threat from global warming. Haven Atolls will produce fresh water, energy and algae products and protect local corals. Our key innovation is to bring cool nutrient-rich deep ocean water to the surface and feed it into coral atolls for sustainable aquaculture and to cool the coral during heat waves, protecting against global warming. The Haven Atoll will serve as a reservoir of biodiversity to seed reefs destroyed by bleaching. Haven Atolls will serve the global agendas of supporting food security and biodiversity, and will be critical to helping achieve negative carbon emissions, as identified by world governments in the Paris Climate Agreement as necessary to keep warming below two degrees.
Time is the enemy of coral. Our magnificent reefs are dying. Many have gone extinct or will soon. Algae systems can save the reefs while developing technology for sustainable energy and food supply and beginning to remove the dangerous extra carbon that fossil fuels have added to our air and sea. We urgently need partnerships for innovation, to implement rapid practical cost-effective methods to save our precious coral reefs from the looming extinction.
NOAA Webinar 14th April: Ocean Exploration and MPAs - Priorities, Technological Advances and Partnership
21 March 2016 2:28pm
How can technology help reduce manatee boat strikes?
9 February 2016 4:42pm
18 March 2016 5:23pm
Hi John,
Have you checked out Whale Alert? There may be some scope for applying/adapting the same technology for averting manatee strikes by applying it to the recreational boating sector.
Best regards,
Gavin
Beauty as a cheap monitoring tool for reefs?
26 November 2015 5:13pm
26 September 2017 8:47pm
The top 20 submissions are open for public voting through Oct. 19, so you can go test out what people built.