Impact Stories
eOceans® works with and for communities and scientists around the world.
Our Impact
Animals:
166,855 sightings reported and used to track and save our oceans from various threats.
People: 980+ expert scuba divers, 73+ dive and ecotourism operators united to track and protect ocean spaces and species.
Area: 14,437 dive sites assessed in 38 countries.
Impact: Protected areas covering 19.4 million sq km, more than 100 species with increased protection, 182 countries united to build policies for restored oceans.
The Research Arm of eOceans has successfully mobilized diverse stakeholders, including tourists, guides, operators, fishers, NGOs, and businesses, resulting in the monitoring and protection of over 100 species and influencing national policies cover over 19.4 million sq km. Notably, eOceans played a pivotal role in shaping marine policies after exposing discrepancies in reported catches compared to actual catches, and prompting increased protections in 184 countries.
Below is a summary of a few of these research projects, with links to publications.
Great Fiji Shark Count
Ocean degradation threatens tourism and management has not kept pace to ensure long-term sustainability. In response, some in the tourism industry are taking it upon themselves to monitor the ocean and advocate for protection. Fiji is one such place where divers logged 146, 304 shark observations from 30 668 dives on 592 sites —- 45% of dives 74% of sites. Our results can guide management and conservation needs, future scientific questions, and provide a baseline for future assessments.
Emergent Research and Priorities for Shark and R
ay Conservation
There is a lack of data on sharks — including population status, human−wildlife interactions, threats, and the efficacy of conservation. Citizen science complements and expands our capacity to understand elasmobranchs and threats by putting more eyes on the oceans, beaches, ports, and markets.
International Trade Threatens Mantas
We crowdsourced data on manta rays — alive, fished, and sold in the markets. Comparing these with reported catches (FAO) revealed that mantas were being caught and sold in many countries without being reported (IUU fishing) This discrepancy indicated that international trade threatened these species, and warranted listing on Appendix II of CITES.
A global team of researchers and ocean explorers have united, using the eOceans® platform, to document ocean uses and wildlife observations in real-time throughout this unprecedented time of human confinement.
Priorities for Shark Conservation in Thailand
Longitudinal sampling — 9524 dives on 153 sites across 5 years — provided the first spatiotemporal picture of sharks in Thailand. Results are being used to prioritize science and management, and demonstrate the value of community-led programs that combine the diversity of expertise that exists within communities.
Evaluating Global Shark Sanctuaries
Around the world, ocean experts — local explorers that live and work on the ocean — see things that scientists don’t. What they see can inform on local threats to species and livelihoods. Here, we reviewed these concerns from a shark perspective.
The Role of Tourism
in Conservation
Tourism guides visit the same sites repeatedly, observing many of the same species and often the same individuals daily. They are the beneficiaries and stewards of the area, and their observations can fill important data gaps that are missed by science.
Citizen Science: A Best Practice for Shark & Ray Tourism
Scientists outline the importance tourism operators collaborating with scientists where they operate to track the ocean. Connecting researchers with communities, businesses, and NGOs is key for success.
Biases in Visual Censuses Skew Ecological Descriptions
Visual censuses have been used to sample fish since the 1950’s. Including mobile fish that enter the transect or survey area after the survey begins inflates the density/biomass of mobile fish, and can lead to inaccurate descriptions (e.g., inverted biomass pyramid). This has important consequences management and recovery strategies.
Everyday Observations are Necessary for Science
Scientific surveys can only capture a tiny snapshot — in space and time — of the world’s ocean. Capturing the observations made by other ocean explorers can close data gaps and radically improve what we know about the ocean.
Smart Fisheries
Fishers are on the frontlines of ocean change and should be considered an important ally in ocean monitoring, management, and conservation. Our research found that a history of misinformation, broken trust, and unsustainable practices — following decades of subsidies to maximize catch and profit — has dissolved relationships and pitted fishers against other stakeholders, scientists, and decision makers. The Smart Fishery Tracker™, in the eOceans® platform, positions fishers to improve their efforts, eliminate the barriers that lead to unreported and unregulated fisheries, and enables fishers to play a critical role in the management and conservation of our ocean.
Want to help be part of this action?
Download the eOceans app and start logging your sightings of species, pollution, human activies, and the environment. Or visit eOceans.app to learn more about starting your own project that is powered by the eOceans® app and platform.
