April News | 🌊eOceans®🪼

New eOceans landing page!

Introducing our beautiful, informative new landing page!

eOceans®, where we handle YOUR data processing, management, analysis, visualizations, reports, and dissemination needs. 

It's like having a team of data scientists in your pocket working full-time on your project — saving you up to 80% of your time! —so you can stay focused on what matters. 

Check it out: eOceans.app

Power of collaboration!

We're now at 332,000 animals, 25,000 human activities, and 319 species logged. An amazing effort from everyone who got out and logged observations — including zeros — for their own project or for the greater good of the ocean. 

A couple of turtle species are making their way up there with the sharks now. 

Check out more graphs on The Ocean Ledger™ by eOceans®.

Policy Updates

We've updated our policies at eOceans®. These changes are small but reflect enhancements to our feature list. In our continuous effort to provide you with the best experience, we've incorporated several tweaks and improvements to further streamline your workflow, doing more of the heavy lifting, so you don't have to! 

App update: Track

We've refined the way we capture your coordinates while doing moving surveys — like belt transects, aerial transects, roving, and more. While the tracks are now more accurate, we still made significant efforts not to gobble up your phone's storage, so only grabbing 'zeros' every 60 seconds unless you log something. 

News: Heat & Bleaching

Unfortunately, it's not good news.

The ocean is experiencing unprecedented high temperatures. The impacts of this unprecedented global heat event are still unfolding. Coral bleaching is one of the obvious signs of heat stress on animals.

Follow and support the amazing team that is tracking this unfold: MUI—Maldives project

Events

A few upcoming events we're looking forward to presenting at: 

April 25 — Pilots and Prototyping in the Oceans. Blue Institute. 

May 2 —  eOceans: Data analyses need to be real-time. IOI International Ocean Institute (IOI)

May 9 —  Marine Protected Areas and mobile megafauna. IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology). ANYONE CAN ATTEND THIS, SO MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

*Are you looking for an expert panelist, reviewer, examiner, or presenter to evaluate or advise your program? Topics may include Science, Oceans, Blue Economy, Ocean Tech, Marine Conservation, Sharks, Citizen Science, Ocean Pollution, and more. Get in touch with us (science@eOceans.co).

Blue Economy Tracker™

We are reinvigorated to push forward with the Blue Economy Tracker™ after attending a "Blue Economy" conference. There was a lack of understanding of the intention of the Blue Economy, how it differs from the Ocean Economy and Green Economy, and how it can help build stronger economies while rebuilding ocean health in an equitable way. 

Our aim with the Blue Economy Tracker™ is to help decision makers — innovators, businesses, investors, policy makers, and communities —  make smart decisions for the ocean and everything that depends on it. 

We've got a great team working on this, and it's nearly there! Stay tuned. 

Book a demo

If you've got a project that needs timely analysis, send us a message to book a demo at science@eoceans.co

Thank you!

Thank you for joining us on this journey of tracking our ocean, collaboratively, transparently, in real-time.

California: Tracking MPAs in real-time

Make a difference for the ocean with the eOceans app. 📸©eOceans

A comprehensive network of marine protected areas and reserves (MPAs) has been established in California to safeguard marine ecosystems, which are vital for the well-being and resilience of coastal communities. However, one impact-driven, forward-thinking community has gone above and beyond to actually track the performance of their protected area in real-time. Today, we're shining a Spotlight on this community to inspire others about what's possible. 

Spotlight Project

In 2023, Ocean Science Analytics (OSA), a pioneering research and education company based in California, USA, launched its Marine Protected Area (MPA) Observer Program, powered by the eOceans platform.

With a small, dedicated team of local observers, OSA embarked on a mission to unite local experts to describe and track the performance of their protected off the coast of La Jolla —inside and adjacent to the Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve and San Diego-Scripps Coastal State Marine Conservation Areas — nearby the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and San Diego, California. 

Impact generated by Ocean Science Analytics and their community to assess, track, and improve the performance of their local MPA. 📸©eOceans

Prior to this initiative, only 120 observations were available for this area, covering a 40 year period, in the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), the global open-access data and information clearing-house on marine biodiversity. 

Today, however, thanks to the dedication of local expert observers like Darren (featured in our Spotlight Member section), the team now surpasses that number in just one day. They aren't merely tracking the area's biodiversity, but also its activities, social value, and potential threats.

United by their shared commitment, this team doesn't only monitor the MPA's performance over time; they are working together to understand its success and are empowered to identify, communicate, and mitigate evolving threats, ensuring the marine area continues to thrive and provide for generations to come.

Spotlight Member

The impact generated by an expert observer, Darren, who is applying his expertise to track and support the success of his local MPA for his enjoyment and that of future generations. 📸©eOceans

Gray whales, orcas, sea lions, cormorants, lobsters, giant sea stars, boats, divers, SUPs, surfers, ghost nets, and more — Darren, a recreational and commercial scuba diver in California, logs highly detailed observations that offer invaluable insights about the areas inside and adjacent to the Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve and San Diego-Scripps Coastal State Marine Conservation Areas. As a valued member of the OSA project (above), Darren contributes his expertise to help track the health of this important area. 

You can follow Darren in the eOceans app to learn more about what’s happening in his part of the ocean and discover more about how to log, working your way up to becoming an expert "Orca" observer.

Spread the Word!

Download this poster, and others via download folder to help spread the word!

Marine Fauna diversity poster to share on boats, shops, community bulletin boards, etc. 📸©eOceans

We’d love to have you join our global community of ocean explorers tracking the ocean in real-time:

Join eOceans on your mobile device (iOS, Android) or desktop. Use the mobile app to log what you see when you are under, on, or next to the ocean or a connected water body.

If you have found it interesting:

You can subscribe to get notified when I publish a new article, and you can follow or connect with me on LinkedIn. Thanks for your support!

New Study Reveals Urgent Call to Reinvent Shark Conservation

Over the last two decades, sharks have become increasingly emblematic of the world’s most threatened wildlife, drawing heightened attention from the scientific community, regulatory bodies, and advocacy groups. A decade ago, we published a study that found that 100 million sharks are killed each year, prompting calls for enhanced conservation and the establishment of Shark Sanctuaries. However, a new study brings a sobering revelation — the global mortality of sharks has continued to rise, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current conservation measures.

Unfulfilled Promise of Protective Regulations

The study examined shark mortality across time and space, comparing mortality rates to existing conservation regulations. Contrary to expectations, the findings show a harsh reality — instead of declining, shark mortality surged from a minimum of 76 to 80 million between 2012 and 2019. Importantly, approximately 25 million of those dead sharks belonged to a threatened species, like hammerhead sharks, painting a grim picture of the ongoing challenges faced by sharks globally.

Tiger shark in Florida, where it is illegal to possess, kill, sell, or exchange tiger sharks and other species in state waters. 📸 © Christine Ward-Paige

Futile Attempts to Curb Finning

A cornerstone of shark conservation policies has been the prohibition of shark finning, a cruel practice involving the removal of a shark’s fins while it’s alive and discarding the rest of the shark. The intent behind these regulations was to halt this wasteful practice and reduce targeted shark mortality. However, the tenacity of shark finners proved formidable, finding ways to exploit loopholes and evolve in response to policy changes.

As regulations against shark finning were enforced, the industry adapted swiftly. For instance, they started (unbelievably) sewing many shark fins to a single shark body to land the fins ‘attached’. Again forcing policies to evolve quickly to require fins be “naturally attached.” As policies developed, the industry further used non-fishing mother-ships to dispose of shark bodies. The intricate dance between shark finners and anti-shark finning policies showed the lengths the shark finning industry was willing to go to for shark fins.

A Diverse Marketplace: The New Threat Landscape

While anti-finning policies developed, a shift in market demand was pursued across various industries, adding layers of complexity to conservation efforts. As more full sharks were landed, new markets for shark meat and oils emerged, presenting unprecedented challenges.

The diversification in demand amplified the complexity of the conservation landscape, a challenge this new study critically uncovers.

Beacons of Hope: Shark Sanctuaries, CITES Listing, Public Awareness

Despite the apparent ineffectiveness of anti-finning policies, the study indicates that there was an increase in live releases for CITES-listed species, including hammerhead, thresher, and oceanic whitetip sharks across various fisheries areas.

Public awareness campaigns and pressure from large seafood retailers for sustainable seafood products were also considered to be amongst the most effective conservation strategies.

One industry representative noted, “We are seeing a big push from [the] market side, which is having a bigger impact at this stage relative to the regulatory side [because] if you lose your [eco-]certification, it would be diabolical for business and a huge company risk”.

The Urgency of Real-Time Tracking: A Call for Action

As we grapple with the study’s reality, pressing questions emerge.

What has transpired in the five years following the examined data that extends only to 2019? What if this ineffectiveness hadn’t been discovered now, or ever? 

Alternatively, where would we be if we had discovered that anti-finning policies weren’t working 15 years ago?

The results of this study provide a critical juncture for reflection today. Without it, we might have continued to believe in the efficacy of anti-finning policies while the global mortality of sharks surged unabated.

Way forward needs to be real-time and automated

This study underscores the urgency and rationale behind the creation of eOceans — a platform designed to perform analyses like those in this study in near real-time, with automated evaluations of fisheries and policies, providing the necessary insights to iterate conservation strategies in a timely, efficient, and effective way.

This real-time approach is crucial to aligning conservation efforts with the dynamic changes in business, society, and our oceans.

To get things moving for sharks and rays in your community, log your observations in the eOceans app and share our posters (below) on boats and bulletin boards.

Shark and ray diversity poster to share with your community. Download this and more information here.

eOceans — For the ocean. For us.

It’s time to unite for the ocean!

We're thrilled to announce the relaunch of eOceans® and we can't wait for you to try it out!

To get started, download the newest version of the mobile app at App Store | Google Play or use the desktop app. (NOTE: Only the mobile app can be used to log ocean observations, including species, humans, pollution, and environment.)

What is eOceans?
eOceans® is much more than an all—in-one app with analyses built-in — it's a community and movement. By recording, sharing, and understanding what’s happening in the ocean, people and communities can finally make smart, timely actions towards a restored ocean with flourishing communities.

Why eOceans?
Our mission is simple: to rebuild past oceans through collaborative, transparent, timely, and accountable actions. This includes fisheries, protected areas, biodiversity, endangered, valued, and invasive species, pollution, social and cultural value, environmental impact assessments, and more.

What's New?
We've rebuilt the eOceans® app and platform from the ground up to make it more reliable, powerful, and impactful.

Here are a few short ‘How-To’ videos to get you started:
1. Choose Your Species List (20 sec)
2. Log Observations  (animals, humans, pollution, etc. 1.5 minutes)
3. Track and Grow Your Impact (1 minute)
4. Check on Your Projects (1 minute)

Challenge: Log 30 observations per week in eOceans® app — then see what impact you’ve made.

App Store | Google Play

"Together, we have the power to protect and restore our ocean for a livable future planet!" — Dr. Christine Ward-Paige, eOceans Founder

NEW PROJECT FOR DECEMBER! (Yes, right now)

Modeled after the renowned Christmas Bird Count, instead of birds the "Holiday Ocean Count" focuses on documenting and protecting the social values of our cherished ocean spaces. Our goal is to repeat this year after year to continuously improve the value of our shared ocean.

Your Challenge: To log 30+ observations of your ocean or coastline before the end of the year to get us on our way! (READ MORE)

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

The more eyes on the ocean and coastlines with diverse perspectives working together, the faster we can move towards our shared goals of restored oceans and flourishing communities.

Explore — For the ocean. For us. 
The eOceans Team

Follow and tag @eOceans or @eOceansApp on: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook

Mapping our most cherished ocean spaces: the "Ocean Snapshot "project

Local ocean users are increasingly at risk of losing their cherished ocean spaces as governments and businesses push to tap into the perceived untapped wealth of the so-called Ocean Economy. Therefore, this June — in celebration of World Oceans Day — we’re leading the world’s first "Ocean Snapshot" project to make the first map of the ocean from an ocean explorer's perspective. To participate, log your ocean activities and observations in the eOceans® app while you explore. Join us today!

The“Ocean Snapshot” – in celebration of World Oceans Day!

Introducing the Ocean Snapshot project, a groundbreaking initiative on the eOceans® app and platform, offering individuals a chance to make a lasting impact on our beloved ocean.

Our ambitious goal is to unite one million passionate people in June, from all corners of the world's oceans and coastlines, to contribute a minimum of five observations each. These logs capture your activities as well as your observations of others.

The more detailed, the better. Clustered observations within the same hour reveal patterns of space utilization, shedding light on who may be using those areas. However, observations spanning different times of day and days of the week provide a comprehensive understanding of variations and the ocean's dynamics in that space. Thus, logging more observations enhances our collective understanding of the ocean's needs.

What better way to celebrate World Oceans Day?

Each submitted log represents a unique fragment of our shared narrative with the ocean. As these fragments intertwine, they weave a story that reflects our present-day appreciation and value for the ocean. Through repeated collaboration year after year, we can comprehend the evolving nature of our relationship with the ocean and witness the positive changes we foster.

An invitation to all.

No matter how you connect with the ocean—whether it's solitary walks along the shore, riding waves with a small crew, or exploring the depths through diving—your voice and observations are incredibly valuable.

Surfers play a pivotal role as key stakeholders in the ocean, bringing their passion and persuasive voice to advocate for ocean protection and restoration — surfing spaces should not be undervalued for communities. Photo: Johny Goerend, Unsplash

We invite you to join us this June 2023 and use the user-friendly eOceans app to log your observations. Together, we will create the world's FIRST comprehensive map, showcasing human activities and the deep significance we hold for the ocean.

Let's embark on this transformative journey, where our combined efforts will chart a brighter future for our magnificent oceans.

We’ve done this before. 

Since 2010, we have been at the forefront of crowdsourced and participatory science projects worldwide. 

Through these endeavors, we have amassed millions of ocean observations, enabling us to study endangered species populations, identify threats, inform policies, and advance our understanding of the ocean and our relationship with it. The outcomes of these projects have been published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals and have played a vital role in shaping protective measures for species, habitats, and communities (see our IMPACT page for details).

Today marks a significant milestone as we transition from manual data collection and analysis methods to the revolutionary eOceans® mobile app and platform. With this new tool, we are thrilled to guide you through this transformative project, providing real-time access to the results. Now, you can actively participate and witness the impact as it unfolds, just as weI do.

This exciting journey of data collection, sharing, analysis, and dissemination, and leveraging the power of technology to make a lasting difference in ocean science and conservation.

Creating a map of the ocean’s social value is important

Mapping the social value of the ocean through projects like "Ocean Snapshot" is crucial.

It deepens our understanding of the ocean's significance in our daily lives as a vital resource that provides food, livelihoods, recreation, and cultural connections. This mapping reveals the diverse ways people engage with the ocean, transcending sectors and recognizing activities like coastal walks, beach cleanups, and marine research. 

It also informs decision-making, policy development, and conservation strategies by providing comprehensive data on human activities and values. Additionally, it fosters community engagement, empowering individuals to contribute and take responsibility for ocean well-being. 

Regular mapping establishes a baseline for monitoring and evaluating changes, identifying trends, and adapting strategies to address emerging challenges. That’s why we intend to do this year after year, aligning with World Oceans Day.

Purpose-built technology to scale our cumulative impact 

The “Ocean Snapshot” project is using the eOceans® app to collect all ocean observations. 

eOceans® is a purpose-built platform designed to revolutionize your ocean exploration journey. The mobile app enables ocean enthusiasts to track their activities and log observations, expand their knowledge of the ocean, and stay updated with real-time trend tracking through expert-developed analytics and display.

In the Ocean Snapshot project, we harness the capabilities of the eOceans app to gather comprehensive ocean observations. By using eOceans, you retain full ownership of your data and enjoy the convenience of contributing effortlessly to the Ocean Snapshot project while seamlessly sharing with other projects of your choice.

No internet connection? No problem! Our app functions offline, allowing you to make observations anywhere in the world during any ocean activity—whether you're diving into the depths, snorkeling amidst coral reefs, casting your line while fishing, riding the waves on a surfboard, gracefully sailing, enjoying a serene beach walk, embarking on a SUP adventure, or even hopping on a ferry. Helping you to track your activities is important to us, so please inform us if your preferred activity is missing from the list, and we will ensure it gets included. 

Discover the empowering capabilities of the eOceans app and become an invaluable contributor to the Ocean Snapshot project. Together, let's unveil the secrets of the ocean and pave the way for a future that celebrates its magnificence.

Be an Ocean hero — Easy as 1-2-3 

If you see the ocean this June, for any purpose, please make at least 5 logs per day in the eOceans app to make a difference for the future of our ocean! It’s free and simple to participate. Follow these 3 simple steps: 

1. Download the eOceans mobile app on Android or iOS and create an account. 

2. Use the (+) icon to log your activities & observations, and make sure your data upload to the cloud. 

3. Visit the “Ocean Snapshot” project to see the results.  

eOceans — For the ocean. For us.

A global network of shark heroes: Help by joining eShark!

eShark has gathered millions of observations from scuba divers and other ocean explorers to describe shark populations to help get the conservation they need. Now, eShark is powered by the eOceans mobile app (iOS and Android) with real-time, expert-developed analytics — so that anyone exploring the ocean today can help and learn how their sharks are doing today.

All ocean explorers are invited to join eShark, using the eOceans platform, to track sharks and their threats around the world, to inform science and policy. Photo: eOceans 2023

Divers have helped saved a lot of sharks

In the twelve years since eShark began, thousands of divers, snorkelers, and other ocean explorers have participated in many eShark projects. These include the Great Fiji Shark Count, eShark Thailand in partnership with Shark Guardian, eManta, Shark Sanctuary Evaluation, and other consequential citizen science projects. 

By gathering millions of observations — of sharks, rays, turtles, whales, garbage, and more — hotspots of shark diversity and abundance have been described. For the first time, we’ve been able to show how shark populations change by location, season, and year. We’ve also described threats and evaluated the success of different conservation strategies. These findings have informed many policies like Shark Sanctuaries, Marine Protected Areas, international trade (i.e., CITES) and more. 

This would not have been possible without ocean explorers, particularly scuba divers, who reported what they saw. This work has guided science-based decisions that have saved a lot of sharks.  

eShark has gathered millions of ocean observations from scuba divers and other explorers to address many science questions and to inform policies that protect sharks. Photo: eOceans 2023

Saving manta rays – an example

People love Manta Rays, a relative of sharks. Tourists spend millions every year to fly around the world just to see them in a few locations. So, alarms rang across the tourism industry and conservation world when they started to disappear from some of the top dive destinations. 

Manta rays are sought by poachers for their fins and gill rakers. 

We created a spinoff of eShark, eManta, to gather scuba divers’ observations of manta rays – where they see them in the wild, where they see them being fished, and where they are sold in the markets. This study gathered over 600,000 dive observations from 90 regions of the world. 

Combined across all observations, we revealed that although only two countries reported catching manta rays, that they were being caught and sold in markets around the world. This was particularly problematic in areas adjacent to popular dive and ecotourism areas, where manta rays provide important socioeconomic value through tourism. The results also suggested that they were being poached from sites where they had local or national protection. 

This discrepancy demonstrated that illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing combined with international trade was threatening manta rays with extinction. Therefore, they were listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which controls international trade so that permits are required to sell manta rays and their parts internationally (these regulations have been strengthened further in 2021). 

This was only possible with the participation of scuba divers around the world who cared enough to pay attention and to take a few minutes to log their observations for science. 

Tourists fly around the world to spend time with manta rays – a relative to sharks. Divers observations helped manta rays get on the endangered species list. Photo: Jeff Hester / Ocean Image Bank

Tracking sharks for conservation in Thailand, Fiji 

Across Thailand and Fiji, two popular dive destinations for sharks, the dive tourism operators and guides were concerned for their sharks. They noticed that many species were declining across many sites, often to the point of absence. They wanted the science that could help them advocate for increased protection of sharks (and their livelihoods), but didn’t have the data to support policy change. 

Together, we set up community dive logbooks for all divers to log their dives with their observations of sharks, as well as rays, seahorses, turtles, garbage, and so on. 

Dive guides and their guests logged their dives – over 200,000 sharks on 45,000 dives from over 700 sites. 

These data provided the first nation-wide descriptions of sharks in both countries. 

For the first time ever, using divers’ observations, we were able to describe hotspots of sharks, including sites and seasons with high shark abundance and diversity. Importantly, where there was overlap in a few sites, our results looked just like those from other studies that used scientific observers only.

These studies initiated new shark research, conservation, policy, and other relevant conversations to protect sharks and the future of diving. 

Divers recording all their observations from dives around the world can help tell the story of the ocean. Photo: Jett Britnell / Ocean Image Bank

Extending to the blue economy — protecting nature and people

eShark, and citizen science projects like it that collect zero data — where sharks are not seen —  also provide insights on key areas for harnessing and protecting the Blue Economy. 

When ocean explorers log their activities — where they spend their time doing different activities — trends in this alone, even without the observations, can help communities get a sense of the most important areas for people. This is the Ocean Economy. When those are combined with observations of animals, such as sharks and other biodiversity metrics, they can help prioritize the areas that are good for both humans and nature, which are fundamental to a successful Blue Economy. 

Sites that are good for humans and animals could be prioritized for protection.  

Governments that are undergoing marine spatial planning exercises and genuinely aim to support a Blue Economy, for example, would prioritize these areas

Too slow to track sharks

Despite great success over the last decade, every eShark project was done manually. 

Divers recorded their dives and observations on paper. In Fiji, they had community dive log books contained in binders in the dive shops. In Thailand, dive guides handed out paper log sheets for their dive guides and guests to fill out at the end of a dive. We also tried online surveys. Then, the data were manually entered, and then cleaned and analyzed by scientists using different statistical tools. Finally, we all co-interpreted the results and wrote them up for publication, in peer-reviewed journals. 

Publications followed years behind the last data point. Too slow for highly mobile, targeted, declining shark populations. 

Additionally, there are ethics requirements that dictate how we can use, or re-use these types of data – we cannot give the data to others or make it open access for others to use. 

Instead, to repeat the study, all the data would need to be gathered again. 

Ethical uses of data are for good reason, but it slows discoveries and wastes participants time. 


Technology to save sharks

eOceans is a purpose-built mobile app and analytics platform that was designed and developed by eShark scientists using the two decades of research and expertise from eShark, eManta, field work, and using large ocean citizen science data.

When divers log observations, eOceans stitches all observations together to tell the picture of sharks in the ocean. Photo: eOceans 2023

Instead of just building a mobile app for eShark, with just sharks, eOceans was designed for all species — to make science more inclusive, accurate, and fast while reaching all parts of our world’s ocean. 

The eOceans mobile app enables all ocean explorers (e.g., scuba divers) to log and track their activities (e.g., dives) and observations and to share them with one or thousands of other projects.
To be valuable for science, the policies used by eOceans are aligned with the requirements of research ethics boards at universities and journals. 

To accomplish this, data contributors (e.g., divers) own their data and are in control of who they share their data with. When someone is invited to join a project and contributes their observations to that project, then they can help interpret the results by using the community channel. Because the data are analyzed in real-time and are accessible to all contributors, they are also enabled to facilitate knowledge distribution and are empowered to be an integral part of the action dialogue. 

With eOceans, people can record observations of animals, human activities, and pollution. For animals, their abundance, health status (e.g., size, injuries, diseases) and behaviours (e.g., mating, breaching) can also be added. This way the presence/absence, abundance, and health of animals can be tracked, not just their presence – health of the species and their threats and ability to thrive.

Some have likened eOceans to Strava for athletes, where ocean explorers track their activities, which represents survey effort. Their dashboard shows their impact by tracking their effort (distance, time) and observations.  

Others have likened eOceans to Waze for drivers, where ocean explorers log what they see to help others better understand what’s happening in the ocean. 

Goal: 1 billion observations per day to help sharks

At eShark, our vision is to protect and restore sharks to their former abundance and value in the ocean and our mission is to unite all ocean explorers to track shark populations & understand their needs.

To accomplish this, our goal is to gather 1 billion observations per day of sharks, including zeros and their threats — enabling us to track sharks, their threats, and society’s relationship with sharks around the world. 

Together, we’ll monitor sharks and their threats while assessing the performance of different shark conservation strategies, such as Shark Sanctuaries, Marine Protected Areas, quotas, CITES listing, and more. 

Powered by eOceans, our global eShark team will have science-based results that can help individuals and decision makers to protect sharks and restore their value.  

Be a Shark Hero: Join eShark!

If you dive, surf, snorkel, sail, fish, or explore the ocean for any activity that has the chance of seeing a shark you can help sharks.

1. Download the eOceans mobile app on Android or iOS. 

2. Log your activities & observations – even if you don’t see sharks. 

3. Upload your data – the mobile app works offline for data logging, then when you get into WiFi or cell data range, make sure your data are uploaded to the cloud. 

Blue Economy: A measurable, investable definition

A successful Blue Economy could be the difference between a liveable and an unliveable planet. Helping track and invest in activities that help, not just hurt less, is the goal of our Blue Economy Tracker™ (coming soon!). We needed a judicial definition to make it work, and we describe the rationale for it here. For the ocean. For us.

Blue Economy activities should help — the ocean and people. Credit: Anett Szaszi / Ocean Image Bank

Ocean assets are still valued at $24 trillion — this, after centuries of misuse with productivity, ecosystems, and populations being driven to a small fraction of what they once were.

When the term “Blue Economy” was coined by large ocean states (a.k.a. SIDS) to prioritize economic activities that conserve ocean health and equitable access to ocean spaces, it was a beacon of hope.

Over the last few years, however, a growing number of governments and businesses have, in a rush to exploit the perceived untapped wealth of the ocean’s services, co-opted and bluewashed the term ‘Blue Economy’ to suit their needs. They are using the Blue Economy to include all, or nearly all, ocean activities — including those disconnected from ocean health or equitable access.

But, that’s not what the ocean or the people who depend on it need.

To protect what’s left and restore the value of the ocean, investments are needed in activities that help.

At eOceans, we aimed to build models to help track and invest in the Blue Economy, but current definitions were too vague and disconnected from ocean health to work. So we sought a measurable and trackable definition to deploy in the eOceans platform.

Below, we outline our journey and rationale for our Blue Economy definition.

The definition is important

How we define the Blue Economy not only matters in the way it is tracked — we can’t track it if we can’t define it — but also in how we prioritize and invest in it.

Given that ocean ecosystems continue to be a diminishing remnant of what they once were, with traditional stakeholders and rightsholders being displaced from their traditional grounds, getting the definitions and associated investments right is arguably one of the most important challenges of this decade (see UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development).

It’s not only about growing and sustaining economies — it could be the difference between a liveable and an unlivable planet.

A blue Blue Economy is essential

The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet. As we run out of space on land, we’re increasingly looking towards the ocean for climate regulation, carbon stores, food, medicine, biodiversity security, protecting coastlines, and more. We need to carefully balance our ocean activities with the needs required for a healthy and productive ocean.

History shows us, however, that business-as-usual does not work. Ocean assets are valued at $24 trillion but countless studies have documented precipitous declines in the ecosystem services they provide.

As ‘tipping points’ are reached, these trends are unlikely to be reversible.

While many activities aim to improve on the old ways, such as through reduced fuel consumption, noise production, and pollution, even in the best-case scenarios these activities are still net negative for ocean health and productivity.

For the ocean to recover and support our growing needs, investments need to be directed towards activities that help, not just hurt less.

Use of the term “Blue Economy”

The concept of the blue economy has its roots in the 1992 Rio Earth Summit but came into popularity when it was proposed by large-ocean states to support and promote ocean-based economic activities that integrate conservation and sustainable uses (Rio+20 — UN, 2012). The term has since evolved and devolved.

Large Ocean States (a.k.a., Small Island Developing Nations) introduced the concept of blue economy to prioritize economic activities that support ocean health and equitable access. Photo credit: Alejandro Luengo

Scholars, research-based think tanks, and Indigenous groups have further refined the term to emphasize equitable access, social benefits, climate regulation, and conservation with additions of carbon storage, coastal protection, cultural values, and biodiversity (e.g., Silver, Smith-Godfrey, Bennett, Voyer, Mika).

On the other hand, many large governments and businesses have co-opted the term to include all offshore activities (e.g., Canada-2021, NOAA-2021, EU-2021) or nearly all (‘greener’) offshore activities (e.g., The World Bank-2017).

While it is exciting to see the growing interest in the ocean, expansion and divergence of the use of this term is problematic.

It’s not only a challenge for those who want to track and evaluate the success of the Blue Economy but also for those who want to prudently invest in a “Blue Economy” that actually supports ocean health and equitable access, and not just contribute to greenwashing or bluewashing.

The Ocean Economy and Green Economy

The Ocean Economy is “the sum of the economic activities of ocean-based industries, together with the assets, goods and services of marine ecosystems” (OECD) and the Green Economy is “low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive (UNEP)”. Note that the Green Economy does not specify location, so many offshore activities can also be Green.

The World Bank’s Blue Economy includes transport, renewable energy, and waste management.

These activities are particularly problematic for tracking and quantifying the success of the Blue Economy because they could grow and diversify exponentially with diminishing ocean health and loss of traditional access — they are not tied to ocean health or equitable access.

Windfarms help lower global carbon emissions, but they don’t help the ocean or the people who depend on it. Photo: Christine Ward-Paige

Renewable energy, like windfarms, reduce carbon emissions and lower our collective carbon load. Reducing carbon emissions is essential, but windfarms are still net negative to ocean health. Some argue that windfarm structures bring value to the ocean because they artificially inflate the biomass and diversity at the site. However, these same value arguments can also be made for non-renewable energy activities like offshore mining rigs and artificial FADS; but, ecologically speaking, they are foreign objects that destroy native habitat, biodiversity, species distributions, and oceanographic conditions (Bailey, Carpenter, Heery, Raoux ) and also displace other historical users of an area. Again, these activities may help lower our carbon emissions, and therefore slow the rate of anthropogenic sea level rise, seawater warming, and acidification, but they don’t help recovery.

For transport, even in the best-case scenarios where technologies reduced fuel consumption, noise production, and waste discharge to near zero, increasing the number of vessels in the ocean (even if quiet) would still not help the ocean recover, they just hurt less than their predecessors.

None of the existing definitions were explicit or measurable to support informed decisions and investments that would protect or restore ocean health and value.

Our motivation for a new definition

The eOceans app and analytics platform enables ocean teams to track any species, issues, or value of the ocean collaboratively, transparently, in real-time.

We have various scalable, expert-developed analytical packages — such as the MPA Health Tracker™ and MPA Health Score™, the Smart Fishery Tracker™, and the Shark and Ray Tracker™, as well as any species, or issue/threat.

We aimed to create the Blue Economy Tracker™ to help decision makers, marine spatial planners, and investors identify and prioritize activities that protect and restore ocean health and value.

After reviewing existing definitions, we found that they were too vague to be measured and tracked and they were untied to ocean health and equitable access, so we needed a new definition.

The Blue Economy

We developed the following definition:

“Activities where success is fundamentally tied to ocean health; other ‘Blue’ activities are not displaced; and there is sufficient data, understanding, and willingness to prioritize ocean health and community wellbeing”.

This definition allows activities to be scrutinized, categorized, and quantified. It is a subset from the Ocean Economy and separate from the Green Economy. Segregating activities into different Ocean, Green, and Blue categories allows us to track their growth and diversification in relation to ocean health (e.g., biodiversity, abundance) and equitable access.

An analogy may help.

You wouldn’t deplete 90% of your bank account and then have a goal of sustaining it. You’d want to grow it back. With the eOceans definition, we can think of the Ocean Economy as all the money going in and out of your account, the Green Economy as the measures put in place to stop the money going out so fast, and the Blue Economy as the activities that put money back into the account to rebuild it. To restore your account, you need both Green and Blue activities, and they need to be measured and quantified separately. Too much emphasis on Green and the bank account could be empty before Blue even has a chance. (see Will we bankrupt the ocean with sustainability?)

Definition into practice

Blue Economy activities fall on a spectrum of ‘blue-ness’, where they move towards being ‘blue’ as they improve to share with other blue activities and prioritize ocean health and equitable access. (eOceans 2022)

The schematic (above) lists a few activities, including culture, fisheries, tourism, marinas, aquaculture, storytelling, but can include many other activities (e.g., blue carbon). Although this definition excludes many of the activities that were included by others, like energy, mining, transport, and waste management, it expands in other ways to include social and cultural values, storytelling. and entertainment.

Just because an activity is dependent on healthy oceans does not mean that it is Blue — it is a spectrum of Blue-ness.

For example, fishing companies that specialize in black market trade of threatened marine species depend on the ocean, but the value of their items increases as the species decreases so they are not a Blue activity (they also displace other blue activities, and don’t prioritize ocean health and equitable access).

Aquaculture is likely to cause debate, but again, our perception is that “aquaculture” is on a spectrum, from not blue to blue (see Dan Barber’s TED talk).

Special case: Artificial reefs and restoration activities.

Artificial habitats are a complex edge case that comes up time and again and needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Generally, if the artificial habitat is a strategic piece of infrastructure that supports an existing nearby reef with native biodiversity and uses science-based decisions for placement, materials, and monitoring, and will stand the test of time, then it is likely considered a Blue activity.

However, artificial habitats/reefs that are deployed for habitat offsetting, are opportunistically placed, displace native habitats, ecosystems, or species, or use harmful materials that break down into polluting particles (plastics) and don’t provide permanent long-term habitat, would not be considered Blue activities.

Artificial reefs are a complex edge case that need to be considered on a case-by-case basis to be considered a Blue Economy activity. Generally, they should support native species and ecosystems and be expertly designed and placed. Just having something grow is not Blue. Photo credit: The Ocean Agency/The Ocean Image Bank.

Additional note for clean-up activities.

Many activities have become an integral part of supporting a vibrant and successful Blue Economy.

Garbage and pollution cleanups, including ghost gear removal, for example, help the ocean and the people who depend on it. However, they can occur in polluted and depleted ocean spaces, so the success of these activities are not intricately connected to ocean health — not Blue.

Instead they would be considered Green aspects of the pillar they support, such as fisheries or waste management, even if they operate in isolation from that industry (although those industries would do well to recognize and connect to that value).

Marine debris and ghost gear removal is important for supporting a successful Blue Economy, but they are considered Green activities within the ocean pillar they support.  Photo credit: Dimitris Poursanidis / Ocean Image Bank

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Moving forward.

This definition of the Blue Economy can serve many purposes.

It can be used to intentionally prioritize activities and focus investments and resources in the Blue Economy. It can also help prioritize the Green activities that support the Blue Economy (e.g., cleaning water, reduced noise and pollution, etc.). And, it can help standardize and prioritize activities in Marine Spatial Planning exercises, such as in the design of Marine Protected Areas.

This explicit definition may also impede bluewashing, increase awareness and interest in the topic, and build a more equitable, fair, connected, and collaborative ocean space in the face of our need to protect and recover our ocean assets.

Finally, this definition of the Blue Economy is a call to marine biologists, social scientists, chemists, oceanographers, and Indigenous and local knowledge holders to engage on a massive scale to help businesses, governments, marine spatial planners, and decision makers to monitor, track, understand, and convey what activities fall in the Blue Economy. It’s an opportunity for accountable quantification and innovation of Blue activities that support rebuilding our ocean.

eOceans — For the ocean. For us.

Be part of the solution with a Pilot Project.

If your organization is interested in supporting Blue Economy efforts that are measurable, trackable, and iterative, then contact Christine to get your organization set up with a pilot project today. Getting the right activities the support they need may be the most important thing that needs to get done this decade.

For the ocean. For us. 

Want to collect good data for your projects? Slow and quiet (usually) wins

Moving slowly and quietly typically helps us, ocean explorers, see more detail and capture better data for the projects we support in the eOceans platform. Some projects, like tracking ghost nets, dogs, or golf balls, aren’t as finicky as, say, tracking seahorses. So it really depends on the goals and objectives of the project that you’re helping. The key to providing good data is to pay attention to the necessary details.

Moving slowly and quietly in our ocean and aquatic spaces can improve our ability to find and detect species and issues, and help us collect better data. Photo credit: Sebastian Pena Lambarri

Contribute good data.

We all want to contribute good data to the projects we’ve joined in the eOceans platform.

But, how do we collect ‘good data’?

A teaching moment.

I used to teach third-year “Field Methods in Fish Ecology”. Unbelievably, it was the students first fish course in a four-year marine biology program. They were excited.

Students first Underwater Visual Censuses — deploying stationary point count, roving diver, and two belt-transects, instantaneous and non-instantaneous — to understand how each can be used to describe fish populations. Photo credit: Christine Ward-Paige

On the first two days of the course, we covered animal ethics, statistics, data needs, why sample, etc. We also introduced the four most common Underwater Visual Census techniques — stationary point count, roving diver, non-instantaneous belt-transect, and instantaneous belt-transect. These methods have been used since the 1950’s by scientists to count fish in the field — it’s a way of sampling without catching the fish.

The students practiced the methods on land before heading to the water.

On the third day, we went to their first lake for sampling. They suited up in thick wetsuits to perform their first Underwater Visual Censuses (UVC)— running surveys down the lake while counting and recording the fish they saw.

It was a mess.

Each year, on the first dive, the students were noisy, clumsy, measuring tapes billowing along the surface, standing on the bottom, and yelling back and forth to each other.

At lunch, they’d come to the dock and declare "There are no fish!".

Two years in a row, minutes after the students flopped on the dock in a heap of frustration, a large truck backed up and dumped 20,000 fish into the lake — it's a stocked lake!

The students looked at each other and laughed — "Are you sure there are no fish?".

On the next dive, they went in much slower and quieter, careful not to disturb the bottom — you could hear a pin drop.

Not only did they observe thousands of fish of many different species, but they also found that, along the length of the shoreline in just 3-10 feet of water depth, there were dozens of fish nests that they had completely overlooked on their first dive.

When the recreational fishers showed up a few minutes after the truck left — to fish what had been dropped off — and a dog started jumping through the lake after a ball, right through the fish nests, it was clear that these ‘ minds had been opened to what was hidden below the surface. What was in plain sight — they just needed to see it.

Happy dogs cooling off without a care of what lives below the surface. Photo credit: Jeremy Perkins.

Lesson learned.

The students learned many lessons in that moment. Not only did they need to be much slower and quieter to see the fish and observe their nesting behaviour, they quickly learned how humans — including themselves, but also the dogs and fishers — could impact their observations and the data they collected.

Contribute good data.

If you’re contributing to a project that needs precise counts of certain species, slow and quiet almost always wins. If you’re trying to see the impact of your own behaviour, or that of dogs or others, it may not matter as much.

To see as much as you can and to capture as complete a picture as possible in the eOceans app, it's best to be cautious and pay as close attention to detail as possible.

🦈🐋🦀🐙🐬🐠🐟🦦🦭🦑🦞🦐🐡

Even trained professionals performing field sampling techniques will first notice the fast moving, large animals and items — birds, seals, whales, boats. But, when we slow down and explicitly pay attention to detail, we see small, camouflaged animals — seahorses, barnacles, sand dollars, rockfish, and more.

Slowing down helps us to see better, but also helps wildlife be more comfortable to be seen.

Some animals, like pygmy seahorses, require extremely careful observers to detect them. Photo credit: Dorothea OLDANI

Depends on the goals & objectives.

Good data, does depend on the goals and objectives of the project.

A study on seahorses, epaulette sharks, or sand dollars will require you to slow down and look carefully, allowing animals to become more accustomed to your presence. It might even require some image priming — once you see one, it becomes much easier to see more.

If you are helping to find beached whales or bold basking sharks, you might need different tactics — covering more area and looking further off in the distance, for example.

Finding plastic pollution, ghost nets, oil spills, etc. may require additional sampling strategies to ensure you are paying attention and not looking past items that may be right in front of you.

Keeping the projects that you support with your observations in mind will help you to provide the data the project needs.

What will you see and log in the eOceans app today? How will that be different tomorrow, or next year? How is that different from the person that follows you?

Log observations in the eOceans mobile app to find out.

Further reading to get started:

Ward-Paige et al. (2010) Overestimating Fish Counts by Non-Instantaneous Visual Censuses: Consequences for Population and Community Descriptions.

Lindfield et al. (2014) Silent fish surveys: bubble-free diving highlights inaccuracies associated with SCUBA-based surveys in heavily fished areas.

Samoilys & Carlos (2000) Determining Methods of Underwater Visual Census for Estimating the Abundance of Coral Reef Fishes.