SOCIETY Citizen scientists informing responsible ocean management Historically, oceanographic data collection relied on specialty research vessels and scientists in limited locations. Today, ONC’s Community Fishers program empowers local vessel operators, mariners, and volunteer citizens to easily contribute high-quality data on ocean water properties that help us better understand changes that may be impacting the ocean environment over time. The efforts of citizen scientists—who are fully trained and paid to collect ocean data—significantly reduce the high cost of collecting ocean measurements while increasing the geographic range. The technology allows owners of vessels of opportunity— both fishing boats and pleasure craft—to collect ocean data, such as temperature, salinity, and pressure, from a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) instrument. After the sensor is lowered through the water and retrieved, the data are transferred to a smart tablet where they are stored until they can be uploaded via a cellular or Internet connection to ONC’s data management system, Oceans 3.0. After quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) processes are executed, the data are made available freely over the Internet, allowing users to access, download, and visualize the data for science and decision-making.
Community Fishers App A practical and user-friendly mobile application, Community Fishers couples a smart tablet with oceanographic sensors.
18 | Ocean Networks Canada / Annual Report FY20/21
ONC supports the Community Fishers program in collaboration with the Pacific Salmon Foundation in the Salish Sea, the Canadian Rangers’ Ocean Watch (CROW) under Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Nunavut, and various Indigenous communities in British Columbia and Nunavut.
