OceanEYEs

OceanEYEs turns seafloor camera imagery into a citizen-science sorting table. Volunteers look for Hawaiʻi's Deep 7 bottomfish, identify and mark what they see, and help NOAA researchers turn an ocean of frames into evidence for fisheries work.

What is OceanEYEs?

The task sits at the useful end of screen-based wildlife spotting. OceanEYEs presents images from deep-water survey cameras and asks volunteers to locate fish, identify species, and mark their positions. A reference-image toggle can make movement between frames easier to notice, while a tutorial and field guide provide a route into the unfamiliar species. Those marks are not treated as instant truth: the project describes combining multiple independent readings into a consensus before the results feed later analysis and computer-vision work.

What you can do there

• Review deep-water camera images
• Identify and mark fish
• Compare a reference image for movement
• Discuss subjects with the project community

Why we picked it

Few online detours let a quiet patch of dark seafloor become a genuine research contribution. The appeal is equal parts Where's Waldo and field station: stare long enough for fins to separate from shadow, make a careful mark, and help shrink a backlog that a small scientific team could spend months reviewing alone.

How to get the most from it

Read the tutorial before classifying, then keep the field guide close for similar-looking species. Compare the reference image when a possible fish blends into the background, mark only what the instructions support, and use the project discussion area when a frame raises a question worth sharing.

Good to know

One volunteer label is not the final scientific result; project material describes consensus across multiple reviewers and additional analysis. The live progress widgets currently disagree with one another, so treat their totals cautiously. Account, privacy, device, accessibility, and current workflow details are not clearly documented on the public landing page.

Who made it, and when?

NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center is the credited creator or organization. The earliest supported launch date we found is September 15, 2020.