Team details

Team members

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Project details

Describe your product and your key goals

<aside> <img src="/icons/apple_blue.svg" alt="/icons/apple_blue.svg" width="40px" /> Describe your product Our solution utilizes drones and machine learning for the rapid detection and precise localization of ghost gear. Traditional methods require boats to scan large areas or rely on sightings, which is time-consuming and inefficient. Using our approach, ghost gear is rapidly identified, allowing for rapid assessment of the threat and targeted removal. This significantly reduces the time and cost of recovery, as boats can go directly to the identified location, rather than just conducting visual observation surveys from the boat. By offering faster detection and cost-effective removal, our solution provides a scalable and sustainable approach to protecting marine ecosystems.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/bullseye_green.svg" alt="/icons/bullseye_green.svg" width="40px" /> What you want to achieve by March 2025

Goal 1 - Conduct 6 clean-up missions targeting ALDFG identified through aerial survey, ensuring the removal of hazardous debris from key marine habitats and safeguarding marine animals, reducing the risk of entanglement and habitat degradation.
Goal 2 - Launch a pilot program to recycle recovered ALDFG, testing the feasibility and establishing potential partnerships with recycling facilities.
Goal 3 - Host workshops for local fisher communities and marine conservation organizations, providing them with training on the safe disposal of ALDFG and fostering a culture of responsible stewardship towards the environment. </aside>

Describe what you need the most

<aside> <img src="/icons/bell-notification_pink.svg" alt="/icons/bell-notification_pink.svg" width="40px" /> Describe the kinds of help you need the most (funding, expertise, technology, access, etc).

Funding
Government support
Help with software maintenance and development </aside>

Describe your customers and the problem you are solving

<aside> <img src="/icons/brain_blue.svg" alt="/icons/brain_blue.svg" width="40px" /> Describe your target customers

Conservation Organisations - Environmental NGOs and marine protection groups focused on preserving ocean ecosystems and reducing the impact of ghost gear. These organizations can use our technology to enhance their conservation efforts by streamlining ghost gear detection and removal, thus increasing the effectiveness of their programs.
Government Departments - Regulatory and environmental agencies tasked with maintaining healthy marine environments and managing sustainable fisheries. Our solution provides a cost-effective tool for monitoring, managing, and mitigating the impact of ghost gear, helping governments meet environmental goals and comply with marine protection regulations.
Corporations and Sponsors - Companies looking to fulfill their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) objectives by investing in environmental sustainability projects. Our initiative provides a tangible, measurable, and impactful way for corporations to contribute to ocean conservation efforts, helping them align with environmental sustainability goals and boost their brand’s social impact.
Recycling Groups - Companies looking to utilize ghost gear, a material with high environmental cost, for the production of plastic-based products, mitigating impacts of the fishing industry directly. </aside>

<aside> <img src="/icons/emoji-disappointed_pink.svg" alt="/icons/emoji-disappointed_pink.svg" width="40px" /> What pain points are you trying to solve?

Abandoned, Lost, or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (commonly known as Ghost Gear) poses a significant and growing threat to marine ecosystems. Each year, millions of tons of ghost gear enter the oceans, entangling marine life, damaging coral reefs and seagrass habitats, and contributing to ocean plastic pollution. This harmful debris causes long-lasting environmental and economic consequences, including the depletion of fish stocks, threats to biodiversity, and severe damage to the fishing industry reducing the resilience of marine environments to climate change.

Our project seeks to address the urgent need for the cost-effective and rapid recovery of ghost gear through innovative drone technology and machine learning. By utilizing drones to efficiently detect and remove ghost gear and engaging local communities in the recovery process, we provide a sustainable solution that not only protects marine life and restores ocean health but also reduces the financial burden on the fishing industry and preserves fish stocks for the future. Ultimately, this initiative promotes healthier oceans for future generations while offering a practical, scalable approach to tackling this global problem.