1. The Sea Around Us: Seeing our past, present and future through data in space and time Impacts of fisheries on the world’s marine ecosystems www.seaaroundus.org Dirk Zeller Wolfram data summit 2011 Washington DC, September, 2011

2. Everything you always wanted to know (or not) about fish & fisheries www.seaaroundus.org Dirk Zeller Wolfram data summit 2011 Washington DC, September, 2011

3. Fishbase.org Fishbase.us SeaLifeBase.org Fishbase.org Fishbase.us www.seaaroundus.org

4. The true precursor to FishBase: Scientific card index box on fish biology and population dynamics, initiated in early 1977. Grew in leaps and bounds: DVD-based…

5. FishBase went online in October 1998

6. FishBase search page in 2011 FishBase in 2011

7. Also, we learnt that fish taxonomy (identification) remains a problem Sorting out valid names and correct spellings remains a major headache; Sorting out valid names and correct spellings remains a major headache; The number of species keeps increasing (200- 500 new fish species per year); The number of species keeps increasing (200- 500 new fish species per year); Names keep changing (1% per year); Names keep changing (1% per year); Knowledge about fishes increases exponentially. Knowledge about fishes increases exponentially.

8. Therefore, ENCODING is important and never- ending… core FishBase Encoder Team …

9. The success of FishBase is clearly illustrated by our website, which receives monthly: 33-35 million hits 33-35 million hits Over ½ million unique visitors Over ½ million unique visitors Hits come from: Hits come from: All continents All continents A variety of users: A variety of users: Individuals Individuals Universities Universities Museums Museums Research Institutes Research Institutes School children School children NGOs NGOs

10. What do our ½ million visitors per month want? June – August 2009

12. Correlates with general internet usage

13. Success with FishBase… what about non-fish marine life? SeaLifeBase

14. SeaLifeBase in 2011 … deep-linked to FishBase ~118,000 species, incl. fish Not as data deep (yet)

15. FishBase & SeaLifeBase widened the scope of fisheries science and provided the opportunity for global studies, beyond narrow, single fishery focus of traditional fisheries scientists Ecosystem- and global-scale effects of fishing…

16. Sea Around Us Project Named after Rachel Carson’s book Named after Rachel Carson’s book Initiated in 1999 Initiated in 1999 Assess, document and communicate the impact of fisheries on the world’s marine ecosystems Assess, document and communicate the impact of fisheries on the world’s marine ecosystems Why? Fishing is single most important impact factor on global oceans Why? Fishing is single most important impact factor on global oceans Collaboration: Collaboration: The University of British Columbia, Vancouver The University of British Columbia, Vancouver The Pew Environment Group, Philadelphia The Pew Environment Group, Philadelphia www.seaaroundus.org

17. Sea Around Us Project Globally unique Developed large complex of inter-linked, global databases that allow inferences on the global oceans Developed large complex of inter-linked, global databases that allow inferences on the global oceans Combine fisheries with biology, economics, history and policy Combine fisheries with biology, economics, history and policy Work in ‘ecologically meaningful space’… Work in ‘ecologically meaningful space’… www.seaaroundus.org

18. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org Global spatial grid Global spatial grid ½ x ½ degree cells ½ x ½ degree cells Use a rule-based procedure Use a rule-based procedure > 99.9% assignability > 99.9% assignability 180,000 cells @ 1,500 species @ 66 years @ 180 countries @ 20 fishing gears 180,000 cells @ 1,500 species @ 66 years @ 180 countries @ 20 fishing gears > 50 trillion data points @ catch, fishing effort, economic value > 50 trillion data points @ catch, fishing effort, economic value

19. Allows truly global analyses... Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org Allows truly global analyses...

20. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org Climate change: Intensity of local extinctions by 2050

21. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org Climate change: Change in catch potential by 2050

22. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org

23. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org

24. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org

25. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org

26. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org For USA: $1.5 billion/year

27. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org And much more, all allocated to the spatial entity chosen….. Future…

28. Sea Around Us Project www.seaaroundus.org Future: Strategic, long-term funding model Strategic, long-term funding model Consortium (FishBase)? Consortium (FishBase)? Multi-year partnerships? Multi-year partnerships? User-defined customization of data queries User-defined customization of data queries 2012-2013 2012-2013 World Atlas of Fisheries (a book!) World Atlas of Fisheries (a book!) 2013-2014 2013-2014

29. Acknowledgements… Thanks to the Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia; Thanks to the Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia; Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia; Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia; Rainer Froese and FishBase; Rainer Froese and FishBase; Deng Palomares and SeaLifeBase; Deng Palomares and SeaLifeBase; Members of the Sea Around Us project; Members of the Sea Around Us project; and many others... www.seaaroundus.org