New app launched today to improve identification of ocean creatures
HALIFAX, July 20, 2016 — A new iPhone and iPad app launched today helps people easily identify and appreciate the enormous diversity of marine life in Canada’s oceans.
The Sea ID app is a free tool aimed to better understand the kinds of fish and other marine wildlife unintentionally caught by commercial fishing operations, with a goal to reduce what’s known as “bycatch.” It’s also available to anyone who wants to better understand the richness that lives in Canada’s oceans.
Fish harvesters, fisheries observers and managers have identified the need for improved species identification tools to combat the challenge of bycatch.
With a solution in mind, WWF-Canada developed Sea ID with support from the Government of Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program; administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada and managed co-operatively with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency. It’s part of a suite of tools to help reduce destructive fishing practices.
Quote from David Miller, president and CEO, WWF-Canada
“Bycatch is a problem as old as fishing itself, but with new technologies such as the Sea ID app we can develop fresh solutions to tackle this persistent threat to marine species and the people who rely on them.”
Quote from Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada
“The Government of Canada is pleased to support this innovative educational and practical tool. It fosters an appreciation for marine life and aims to protect our precious ocean resources.”
About the app:
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There are two versions of the app: One for use inshore, where there’s a reliable internet service; and one for use off-shore without need for internet access once installed.
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As users input the visible characteristics of the marine creature, the app narrows the list of what it might be from among more than 300 species, until it can be properly identified.
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Each entry includes as many as six images, a description of the species’ physical characteristics and habitat, and info about its status as “endangered” or “at-risk” if applicable.
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Users can also capture and store their own images of marine species in the app.
About bycatch:
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Bycatch is the accidental capture of non-target fish and other marine wildlife in commercial fisheries.
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It is a major threat to healthy marine ecosystems and fish populations, and a significant risk for communities that depend on healthy and well-managed ocean resources.
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Up to 40 per cent of fish captured globally each year are discarded as bycatch.
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This amounts to a staggering 30 million tons of injured or dead marine wildlife, including everything from cod, monkfish and other commercial species to awe-inspiring ocean giants such as whales, sharks, dolphins and turtles. Even coral and sponges can be part of incidental catches.
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An estimated 300,000 small whales, dolphins and porpoises die globally as a result of becoming entangled in fishing gear each year.
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Longline fisheries annually catch more than 250,000 endangered loggerhead and vulnerable leatherback turtles.
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A huge amount of bycatch data is still missing. Most data collection focuses on species that are commercially desirable, leaving sharks, whales, sea turtles and many others out of the count.
About World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more info visit wwf.ca
For further information
Philippe Devos, director of communications and media, [email protected], +1 416-453-0092