Calling citizen scientists/divers: you can help a community-driven research initiative using artificial intelligence in a decade-long quest to identify, understand and protect seadragons and their habitats.
A seadragon swims in Botany Bay, offshore from Kurnell. Photo: Underwater Research Group
SeadragonSearch will use AI tools to recognise individual dragons from photos taken by community members and uploaded to the project’s website. The resulting data about their lifespans and other traits will inform conservation policy for these charismatic fishes and their habitats.
Seadragons are marine fishes found only in Australian waters and are part of the same family as seahorses and pipefishes. There are three known species of seadragons: the common or weedy, leafy, and recently discovered ruby seadragon. They are popular with ocean enthusiasts worldwide, but remain relatively mysterious to scientists, with many questions about their lives still unanswered.
“Seadragons live in shallow algal habitats, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change,” said Dr Greg Rouse, a leader of the SeadragonSearch project from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California.
Continue reading at the UTS Newsroom: Hey seadragon, haven’t I seen your face before?