MOOBYF

Context

Pelagic ecosystems encompass marine organisms and environmental features located in the open ocean. Figuring among the largest ecosystems on Earth, they are increasingly recognised for their important role in supporting human societies. First, pelagic species provide important food sources for humans and are an essential supply for food security in many developing countries. Second, pelagic ecosystems play a critical role in climate processes, being one of the largest long-term carbon sink in the biosphere.

Main objectives

The objective of the project is to develop monitoring platforms to observe the open ocean and its biodiversity in collaboration with fishers.

Main activities

At the core of the MOOBYF project is the fact that thousands of platforms already exist in the open ocean and are regularly maintained by fishers: the so-called Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). FADs are artificial buoys or rafts deployed offshore by fishers to catch fish. They exploit the associative behaviour of many tropical fish species, which form aggregations around floating objects. The project aims at using these FADs as scientific platforms to access the open ocean and monitor its pelagic biodiversity with fishers. The project focuses on three main study areas located in the Indian Ocean: Mayotte (French overseas department), the Maldives and Indonesia. In these areas, three main taxonomic groups of species are studied: teleost fishes, elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) and cetaceans.

Several innovative monitoring techniques are combined, ranging from molecular ecology (eDNA, metabarcoding), underwater acoustics (echosounders and bioacoustics) as well as underwater videos, supported by the use of artificial intelligence. The project also employs a citizen-science approach that builds upon the traditional and ecological knowledge of fishers, empowering them to promote community-based ocean monitoring and ocean sustainability. This heterogeneous data is combined and harmonised to build integrated biodiversity indicators.

The knowledge on pelagic biodiversity produced by MOOBYF is the platform on which all knowledge-holders exchange, learn and create close connections to promote the long-term use of such monitoring schemes and the sustainable use of pelagic ecosystems. The results of the project will support several end users, from fishers (by improving the sustainability of their fishing practices) to national and international policy makers, such as fisheries management organisations.