Whale Watching for Science: AI and Citizen Scientists Team Up to Protect Marine Mammals
Whale Watching for Science: AI and Citizen Scientists Team Up to Protect Marine Mammals
By
Mar 25, 2025
Whale Watching for Science: AI and Citizen Scientists Team Up to Protect Marine Mammals
A New Wave of Marine Conservation Emerges as Ocean Sanctuaries Combines Technology with Community Engagement to Track and Protect the World's Whales
San Diego, CA – March 24, 2025 — The age-old practice of whale watching is evolving beyond tourism. Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the rising influence of citizen science, everyday ocean lovers are now playing a pivotal role in protecting some of the planet’s most majestic—and most threatened—marine mammals.
Ocean Sanctuaries, a non-profit leader in community-based marine research, is proud to announce a transformative initiative that empowers citizen scientists to aid in tracking, studying, and conserving whales by integrating public-sourced data with cutting-edge AI technology.
This movement not only advances the field of marine mammal conservation, but it also democratizes scientific research, giving ordinary individuals the tools and training to become meaningful contributors to the protection of our oceans.
A Growing Crisis in Whale Conservation
Across the world’s oceans, whales face unprecedented threats. Ship strikes, ocean noise, pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, habitat loss, and climate change have placed numerous species under severe pressure. Despite global awareness, marine biologists and conservationists continue to struggle with a common obstacle: lack of timely, detailed data on whale populations and behaviors.
Whales migrate across vast ocean expanses, often thousands of miles, making them difficult to monitor using traditional scientific methods. Research vessels are expensive, infrequent, and geographically limited. What’s needed is a more scalable, collaborative, and data-rich approach.
That’s where the synergy between AI and citizen science comes into play.
Citizen Science Meets Artificial Intelligence
Ocean Sanctuaries' latest project leverages two underused but incredibly powerful resources: enthusiastic citizen scientists and the massive volumes of photos and videos captured during whale watching excursions.
Every year, millions of photos of whales are taken by eco-tourists, recreational boaters, drone operators, and beachgoers. Historically, these photos remained personal mementos. Now, Ocean Sanctuaries is turning them into scientific gold.
Through partnerships with AI developers and marine researchers, these images are uploaded into a platform that uses pattern recognition and machine learning to:
Identify individual whales based on fluke (tail) patterns, dorsal fin shapes, and unique markings
Track whale migration across vast distances and multiple regions
Detect and monitor health conditions such as injuries, entanglements, or emaciation
Assess pod structures and calf births over time
Correlate sightings with ship traffic and environmental conditions
These data points, once aggregated and analyzed, can inform real-time conservation decisions, policy changes, and marine protected area designs.
How It Works: From Sightings to Science
The Encounter:
A whale watcher—whether aboard a tour boat, operating a drone, or observing from shore—spots a whale and captures photos or videos.The Submission:
The observer uploads the media via Ocean Sanctuaries’ Citizen Science Portal or partner apps like Flukebook, which uses AI-assisted image analysis.The Recognition:
AI matches the fluke or dorsal fin image to a known individual in the database—or flags it as a potential new individual.The Data:
The sighting is geo-tagged, time-stamped, and correlated with environmental metadata. Researchers are alerted to significant findings (e.g., an injured or entangled whale).The Impact:
Scientists use the data for population studies, tracking migration changes, and issuing alerts when whales enter hazardous zones (such as high-traffic shipping lanes).
Real-World Results and Research Integration
The program has already shown tangible results. In a recent pilot run involving humpback whales along the Pacific Coast, citizen-submitted photos helped:
Confirm the presence of a mother-calf pair in a previously undocumented calving area
Detect and track an injured whale, later intercepted by rescue efforts for disentanglement
Identify two individual whales that had not been observed in over four years—helping researchers reassess assumptions about migration routes
This information, when shared with researchers and conservation agencies like NOAA, Marine Mammal Stranding Networks, and global whale databases, becomes part of a larger conservation mosaic.
According to Dr. Heather Lin, a marine mammalogist and Ocean Sanctuaries research partner, “The combination of mass observation and machine intelligence is changing how we understand whale behavior. We can now react faster, spot patterns sooner, and involve the public in a way that wasn’t possible before.”
Empowering the Public Through Education and Action
The project is supported by a robust online training curriculum that teaches participants how to:
Safely observe and photograph marine mammals
Use AI tools and mobile apps to submit their data
Recognize key whale species and behavioral indicators
Understand ethical wildlife engagement practices
Volunteers also earn digital certifications, contributing to their resumes or community service records. For many participants, the project becomes a launching pad for deeper involvement in marine conservation.
High school teachers, dive clubs, and eco-tour operators are among the most active early adopters, using the program to engage students and guests in science and conservation.
Partnerships with Purpose
Ocean Sanctuaries has joined forces with several forward-thinking organizations and platforms to expand the reach and effectiveness of this initiative. These include:
Flukebook – an open-source photo-ID platform developed by Wild Me
Happywhale – a global humpback whale ID project
The Marine Mammal Center – supporting rescue and research efforts
Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) – for citizen science training and support
Each partnership plays a crucial role in amplifying the visibility of the project, increasing data validation, and ensuring scientific rigor and impact.
A Call to Action: From Passive Watchers to Active Protectors
With the summer whale watching season approaching, Ocean Sanctuaries is inviting eco-tour companies, wildlife photographers, drone pilots, divers, and nature lovers to join the initiative and help build one of the world’s most dynamic, real-time databases of whale behavior.
“Whale watching is no longer just about awe and beauty,” said Michael Bear, co-founder of Ocean Sanctuaries. “It’s about participation. Every photo taken could save a whale’s life, reveal a migration shift, or help build protections for future generations. We want people to walk away from these experiences not only inspired—but empowered.”
Participants can get involved by visiting www.oceansanctuaries.org and accessing the Whale Citizen Science Toolkit, which includes:
Easy-to-follow photo submission guidelines
Quick-start tutorials on using Flukebook and other apps
AI matching walkthroughs
Data privacy and ethics policies
Digital field journal templates
Whales Are Watching Us, Too
Whales are sentinels of ocean health. Their behaviors, migrations, and wellbeing reflect the changes occurring in the marine environment. As species that travel across national boundaries and climate zones, they are indicators of broader ecological shifts.
To protect whales is to protect the ocean—and to protect the ocean is to protect life itself.
With the power of AI and the dedication of citizen scientists, a new chapter in marine conservation is being written. One photo. One sighting. One click at a time.
About Ocean Sanctuaries
Founded by Michael Bear and Barbara Lloyd, Ocean Sanctuaries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering citizen scientists to protect our oceans through research, education, and advocacy. The organization operates a variety of marine life monitoring projects, including artificial reef studies, shark identification, tide pool bioblitzes, and AI-integrated biodiversity tracking.
Media Contact:
Ocean Sanctuaries
Barbara Lloyd
Phone: +1.858.633.7305
Email: We.Care@OceanSanctuaries.org
Website: www.oceansanctuaries.org
