Our knowledge of aquatic biodiversity remains far behind that of terrestrial animals because the underwater world has long been inaccessible and even now is still much more difficult to explore. Initiatives like REEF and iNaturalist have mobilized the dive community to contribute sightings of fish and other animals linked to a geographic location. AquaNotes was created to go one step further by also linking sightings to ecology, so that we can learn about the habitat use of species during their various life stages. Knowing how fishes interact with their environment is fascinating and critical for planning conservation measures such as creating Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
AquaNotes is based on 'aquatic notes', which represent the sighting of one or more species with photographic documentation to confirm, or correct, identifications. Photographs are annotated with species names, location, habitat information, date, time, temperature, and depth. Date and time are recorded by the camera and depth and temperature are pulled from my dive computer which is synchronized with the camera. Based on location, date and time, the phase of the moon and elevation of the sun are calculated as more biologically relevant parameters than time of day. Finally, biodiversity data is extracted from the annotated images and presented as illustrated checklists.
The main drive behind AquaNotes is the desire to learn more about the habitat needs of fishes. The problem, and possibly the reason that habitat use is so poorly documented, is how to collect and record that information. At the moment AquaNotes just collects depth and temperature, but work is in progress to add more detailed descriptions about:
The challenge is to find out what parameters to capture while minimizing the effort of collecting and recording the data. AquaNotes will be developed to streamline that process.
The first big survey was a PADI Aware Foundation funded study of the coastal fishes of Dauin (The Philippines) in 2023. Subsequently, shorter trips to Moalboal, Raja Ampat and Bali were made with partially analysed data available via the links below. Data from earlier (pre-retirement) trips to Anilao (The Philippines), the Red Sea and Caribbean have not yet been included.
I will be surveying every year for about 5 months in the September to April period. The main focus area is most of "the East Indies", extending in the north from the Andaman Sea (west coast of Thailand) to the Philippines, and in the south along Sumatra, Java, and the Lesser Sunda Islands to West Papua.
Nothing has been booked yet but these are the priority areas being considered
Created by: Bart Hazes Email: get in touch Last update: 2024-06-14
