Due to a multitude of threats (from entanglement in fishing lines to pollution) many whale populations are declining world-wide. According to the (IUCN) 20 species of whales are either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable and another 27 species are data deficient.
• Through its SnotBot program Ocean Alliance has developed a tool that can conduct a non-invasive health assessment of a whale (of particular importance when working with endangered populations).
• SnotBot has captured the imagination of the public and as a consequence it is making science and learning more accessible worldwide.
• Because of its low price point and ease of use we are democratizing science with drones.
• We are engaging students of all ages with science and technology.
To better understand the threats facing whales and our oceans and how to mitigate them we need to collect more and better data, including biological samples without adding further impact to the animals we are studying. Existing techniques for collecting this type of data can be invasive and stressful. We have demonstrated that drones can gather much more information about whale health less expensively than traditional means. Best of all, we have proven that SnotBot is a non-invasive tool: the whales don’t even know we are there.
Our flagship program, SnotBot, is a modified consumer drone that flies through the blow of a whale and collects exhaled breath condensate, or “snot,” on petri dishes. Whale blow contains a trove of valuable biological information: DNA, stress and pregnancy hormones, microbiomes and potentially many other indicators of the animal’s health and ecology.
By collecting DNA, we can better understand the genetic diversity and health of a population of whales (critical when whale population numbers are low).
By studying hormones, we can gain a variety of insights into an individual animal’s health. Reproductive hormones tell us the reproductive status of a whale (and by extension the reproductive health of a population). We are working to quantify stress hormones in blow. If we can determine explicitly what stresses a whale, it will transform our ability to understand what anthropogenic threats have the most impact on whales and work to mitigate these threats.
Through our SnotBot expeditions we have collected over 355 blow samples from six species of whale in five different countries and have partnered with laboratories across the USA to analyze the DNA, hormones, and microbiomes in the samples.
Marine mammals are often referred to as “sentinels” of ocean health. They play an important role in ocean environments as ecosystem engineers and even organic ocean fertilizers. In the fight against climate change, A 2019 analysis from the International Monetary Fund estimated that great whales are worth $1 trillion USD (around 2 million for each whale) in the fight against climate change. These animals are important, and it is crucial for the health of our planet that we protect them. The data SnotBot collects helps us recognize and mitigate threats to whales and our oceans.
Progress reports
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
Type of commitment
PLASTICS
- Other (please specify): developing novel techniques to studying ocean plastics.
- Plastics recovery/recycling/reuse:
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
Type of commitment
- Community or Locally Managed Marine Areas
- Integrated Coastal Management
- Large Marine Ecosystem approach
- Ecosystem-based Adaptation
Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
Type of commitment
- Scientific research and cooperation to address ocean acidification knowledge gaps
By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
Type of commitment
- Reduction of fisheries by-catch and product waste/losses
By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
Type of commitment
- Economic benefits from sustainable tourism
Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
Type of commitment
- Scientific, socioeconomic and interdisciplinary research
- Scientific cooperation
- Transfer marine technology
Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want
Type of commitment
- Activities to raise awareness of the comprehensive legal and policy framework for the sustainable development of oceans and seas, in particular UNCLOS, its Implementing Agreements and other relevant ocean-related instruments and promote their effective im
01/2017
To collect samples from whales during our research expeditions to learn more about them and how they are being impacted by the various threats they face.
10/2017
To develop a methodology and protocol which can be used globally to collect priceless data sets on whales.
12/2017
To use this program as a tool of science communication: educating the public as to why whales are important and what we can all do to help protect them.
Staff / Technical expertise
Our research team is made up of experts in their given fields from all across the world.
Basic information
Time-frame: 2017 June - 2019 December
Partners
Parley for the Oceans (NGO)
Oregon State University (Academic Institution)
FLIR Systems (Private sector)
NOAA (Government)
CENAREST National Centre for Scientific Research, Gabon (Government)
Division of Oceanography and Marine Resources, Dominican Republic (Government)
Bahia de Loreto National Park, Mexico (Government)
Instituto de Conservacion de Ballenas (NGO)
Ocean Basins
Beneficiary countries
Argentina
Dominican Republic
Gabon
Mexico
United States of America
Other beneficaries
A crucial part of the SnotBot program is facilitating the adoption of drone technology in marine mammal research programs across the globe. As highly cost-effective, field-friendly, practical tools that can collect a wide range of very high-quality data: drones have great potential for democratizing marine mammal science worldwide.
All our SnotBot expeditions to date have been collaborative efforts: we work with local and regional partners, share our protocols, train them in our techniques, and leave them with a drone so that they can carry on the work themselves. This includes government groups such as the CENAREST national Centre for Scientific Research in Gabon, the Division of Oceanography and Marine Resources in the Dominican Republic, Bahia de Loreto National Park in Mexico, Instituto de Conservacion de Ballenas in Argentina, and NOAA in the United States.
As we continue to develop our drones for whale research programs, we will position our expeditions in places where this affordable and safe technology is needed most. Whether that is with populations of critically endangered whales or with marine mammal researchers who do not have access to these types of research tools.
We are very active at academic conferences and events where we share our protocols and what we have learned. One of the primary ways we help others is through individual outreach. Through email, phone calls, and meetings we help others set up their own drone programs or solve problems they are having. By collaborating and sharing we are empowering researchers around the world to collect massive, complex, and globally comparable datasets. To date we have collaborated and or advised over 15 groups around the world on the best use of drones and our data collection protocols. We are confident that democratizing whale and ocean science in this way will lead to significant advances in our ability to protect whales across the globe.
Aside from this work assisting the work of other research institutions across the globe, the primary way in which the global public benefit from our work is through the environmental benefits this work produces. However, the benefits of the program go further than this.
SnotBot has proven itself a powerful tool for communicating science, enabling us to take people on a very authentic scientific adventure, while making science and learning more accessible worldwide.
Education has always been at the forefront of Ocean Alliances mission. Our education approach has focused on sharing the research we are doing on conserving whales and our oceans. Recently this has been done through school presentations, art and science collaborations, and TV programs like BBCs Blue Planet Live and National Geographics One Strange Rock. These programs have reached millions of people and we know that the SnotBot program continues to inspire people to protect whales and their habitat.
We believe learning and discovery happen best when they happen together and when students can participate rather than being observers to scientists working in an ivory tower. In the future, we plan on expanding our SnotBot expedition educational efforts. On each expedition we plan we will connect with a local school(s) and/or institution like museums and locl conservation organisations to teach a class on whales and their ocean environment and how we are studying them using SnotBot. We will also invite a local educator for a day on our research vessel to give them the full experience so they can disseminate what they have learned to their classrooms. Along with classroom work we will host a SnotBot Live event from the expedition location and stream a live video with the crew so we could provide updates from the field and answer questions from the public. We hosted our first SnotBot Live in 2019 from the Dominican Republic at Maritime Gloucester as a beta test. The event was a success and we envision that we can reach an even larger audience by streaming the event online and or with collaborating institutions. Post expeditions we will create education packets with photos, videos, and activities to distribute to teachers to use in the classroom.
As with all expeditions we will continue to work with other NGOs, policy makers, government agencies, local scientists and media partners to share the expedition experience and message of whale and ocean conservation. The goals of the education program are to build awareness of whales and our oceans, to engage and encourage kids to come up with their own ways (or new tools) to learn about our oceans and to encourage participation of an informed public in promoting lasting, effective conservation policies.
Contact information
Andy Rogan, Mr., arogan@whale.org, 9782812814
Gloucester, MA
Other SDGs
