MUTUAL BENEFITS
As climate change advances, our oceans become increasingly unpredictable. Ocean data—especially near the coasts—is essential for monitoring our oceans and improving short-term meteorological forecasting, long-term climate monitoring, and ecosystem-based management strategies. This information directly benefits fishers, coastal communities, scientists, and a range of blue economy industries such as aquaculture, offshore energy, insurance, shipping and transportation, tourism and recreation, and more. Emerging industries such as carbon sequestration also depend on credible in situ ocean data.
By collaborating across private and public sectors and integrating citizen science into traditional methods of data collection, FVON ensures that ocean data benefits all stakeholders, particularly those that are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.
FISHERS
Data-informed fishing is key to a thriving industry. By tracking sea temperatures, depth profiles, and other parameters, fishers find their catches faster—cutting down on wasted time, fuel, and bycatch. The ocean data that’s collected from fishing vessels informs real-time insights that help fishers target productive waters while avoiding endangered species and sensitive habitats.
But it’s not just about the catch—ocean data also helps keep fisheries sustainable. Climate change is shifting where fish live, when they spawn, and how healthy their populations are. Predictive models help fishers and regulators set smarter quotas and protect critical habitats. Accurate monitoring also helps monitor sudden threats like marine heatwaves or low-oxygen zones.
Whether it’s small-scale fishers or wild fisheries, industrial or Indigenous, using ocean data means better planning, more resilient livelihoods, and healthier oceans.
Feedback from Kyushu SFiN captains
“Through the CTD castings, I found the temperature range for good catches.”
“I don’t have to look around the fishing grounds anymore and thus save 15% in fuel. It makes me so relaxed that I can take a nap on site.”
COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change, facing rising sea levels, stronger storms, and shifting ecosystems. By warning fishers about dangerous conditions and improving hurricane and flood forecasts, ocean data helps to predict these changes and give communities time to prepare.
Coastal communities also depend on the ocean as a source of food and economic stability. Data is crucial for making fishing more reliable and ensuring sustainable seafood production around the globe.
FVON democratizes ocean data by closing the loop between coastal communities, scientists, and policymakers. Beyond the data, this approach facilitates better communication of community needs by uplifting local voices, raising awareness, and supporting citizen science.
GOVERNMENTS AND POLICYMAKERS
Through cost-effective and accessible practices, FVON is reimagining data collection on a global scale. Fishing vessels target data-sparse areas of the ocean, with the potential to create a paradigm shift in our understanding of ocean processes. This is key to saving lives, particularly in regions of the world which have historically lacked ocean observation.
Beyond its contributions to sustainable ocean management and extreme event preparation, ocean data also helps with monitoring national and global carbon budgets, tracking climate impacts, and boosting the development of strong blue economies in the long-term. Net-zero and forward-looking policies rely on accurate ocean measurements to effectively enforce carbon regulations, monitor ocean acidification, and optimize for a thriving and resilient blue economy.
SCIENTISTS
FVON complements existing networks as part of the United Nation’s Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), filling in critical data gaps along the coasts and improving global models for a more comprehensive map of our oceans. FVON also addresses data gaps caused by the poor integration of community-based management and record-keeping with existing technology and scientific knowledge.
This data results in a step change in our understanding of physical, chemical, and biological changes in the ocean, which drives essential research in disaster preparedness and marine spatial planning. Policymakers and community members are also able to respond to changes more dynamically, thanks to real-time data collection and more precise models.
BLUE ECONOMY INDUSTRIES
Key ocean parameters—such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, depth, and more—provide information for blue economy industries on optimal siting locations, risks, and environmental impacts. This data also helps to protect coastal and marine infrastructure and blue economy workers from extreme weather events. Read more about how specific industries benefit from ocean data below.
Aquaculture
Water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll concentration, and other ocean parameters determine the health and quality of marine species. Aquaculturists use ocean data to predict growth rates, reproduction, and survival on their farms. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) monitoring in particular reduces the risk of fish kills and food safety issues.
Offshore Energy
Ocean data provides key information for mapping and monitoring the feasibility and performance of different technologies, boosting innovation in renewable energies. During the siting and construction stages, ocean data also reduces risks in offshore energy projects by illuminating the nearby environment and improving meteorological forecasts. Operations are then optimized by using ocean data to inform infrastructure placement, energy generation potential, maintenance access, and other factors.
Insurance
Real-time and historical ocean parameters like wind speed, temperature, pressure, and wave height are run through catastrophe models to determine the risk probability of hurricanes, floods, windstorms, and other events in coastal and marine regions. These risk assessments help determine more accurate insurance deductibles and rates for coastal homeowners and marine infrastructure, reducing costs for both customers and insurance companies. Ocean data also helps insurance companies determine the legitimacy of weather-related accident claims and prepare catastrophe response operations in high-risk areas.
Shipping and Transportation
Ocean data helps to optimize shipping times and routes, protect the health and safety of workers and infrastructure, and minimize emissions through improved weather forecast models. Real-time data that improves our understanding of depth profiles and marine environments also helps to reduce collisions.
Tourism and Recreation
Data benefits the tourism and recreation industries by optimizing scheduling times for events and sightseeing, protecting the health and safety of workers and infrastructure, and investing in improved weather forecast models and climate monitoring. Long-term industry maintenance benefits from the restoration of marine ecosystems through better-informed spatial planning. Finally, ocean data can help safeguard charismatic species and critical sites that drive conservation funds and eco-tourism.
Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR)
Ocean data is critical for selecting areas where mCDR techniques can have the maximum impact by determining the efficiency of processes like ocean alkalinity enhancement. Environmental impact assessments, which use ocean data, are required for regulatory compliance in certain countries. Spatial oceanographic data also helps to track how carbon is distributed and sequestered over time for monitoring and verification and to ensure the long-term sustainability of mCDR efforts.