Annual SealSpotter Challenge

Citizen Scientists around the world can contribute to vital seal research from the comfort of their own homes. Participants will have two weeks (8 June - 23 June 2019) to access the SealSpotter web portal and count as many seals and seal pups as they can, and very appropriately it’s starting on World Oceans Day. This method of monitoring the fur seal population has replaced the traditional methods of counting the seals at the location. It provides greater precision and less disturbance and is therefore a better way of understanding the changes in population size over time. After June 23, the portal will remain open for participants who wish to continue counting the seals – more data is good. SealSpotter harnesses the drone (RPA – Remote Piloted Aircraft) technology we are currently using to monitor several colonies of Australian fur seals on Victoria’s offshore islands. The high resolution images captured by the drone are then uploaded to the SealSpotter portal, ready for the start of the Annual SealSpotter Challenge. Each image is randomly assigned and will be counted multiple times. We use the average count of each image to determine the result. A video is provided before you start to explain the project and show you how to engage with the portal. Australian fur seals are top predators, but unlike many marine predators, they come ashore to rest and breed, where we can monitor them. Some of Victoria’s fur seal colonies can number in the tens of thousands, so the contribution made by Citizen Scientists who can count the various populations accurately and efficiently through SealSpotter is highly valued. Participants help count seals, identify pups, and also spot entangled seals caught up in marine debris such as rubbish and fishing material. In 2018 we proved that Citizen Scientists can successfully perform the counts when compared to experts and two scientific papers have been published using the data. We are excited not only about the collection of data, but also about some of the other benefits this type of accessible research collaboration brings. By engaging with a wide range of Citizen Scientists including individuals, schools and special interest groups, we are hoping that there will be an ever increasing awareness within the community of the need to support research to better understand our natural world and improve conservation and the health of our oceans. We are looking forward to collating and publishing the results soon after the end of the challenge and celebrating the Citizen Scientists and those that have made a large effort towards the count. The SealSpotter portal was developed by Phillip Island Nature Parks’ researchers thanks to generous funding from the Penguin Foundation.全球公民科学家（Citizen Scientists）足不出户，即可为至关重要的海豹研究贡献力量。本次活动为期两周（2019年6月8日至6月23日），参与者可登录SealSpotter门户网站（SealSpotter），尽可能多地统计海豹及海豹幼崽的数量，且活动恰逢世界海洋日（World Oceans Day）启动，颇具纪念意义。 此种海狗种群监测方式已取代传统的野外实地计数法，具备更高的精准度与更低的环境干扰性，因此更适用于长期追踪种群规模的动态变化。6月23日活动结束后，SealSpotter门户网站仍将向希望继续参与海豹计数的参与者开放——更多的观测数据总能带来更具价值的研究成果。 SealSpotter平台依托我们当前用于监测维多利亚州近海岛屿上数个澳洲海狗（Australian fur seals）繁殖群的无人机（RPA——Remote Piloted Aircraft，远程驾驶航空器）技术。无人机拍摄的高分辨率图像会上传至SealSpotter门户网站，为年度SealSpotter挑战赛（Annual SealSpotter Challenge）做好准备。每张图像都会被随机分配给参与者，并进行多次计数，我们将以每张图像的平均计数作为最终统计结果。活动开始前会提供一段讲解视频，介绍项目背景并演示平台操作流程。 澳洲海狗是海洋顶级捕食者，但与多数海洋捕食者不同，它们会登陆休憩与繁殖，便于我们开展监测工作。维多利亚州的部分海狗繁殖群个体数量可达数万，因此，通过SealSpotter平台精准高效完成种群计数的公民科学家所作出的贡献极具价值。参与者需完成海豹计数、幼崽识别，同时还要发现被海洋垃圾（marine debris）缠绕的受困海豹。2018年的研究证实，公民科学家的计数结果可与专业人员媲美，相关数据已助力两篇学术论文发表。 我们不仅期待数据收集工作顺利推进，也期待这类低门槛研究合作模式所能带来的其他社会效益。通过吸引包括个人、学校与专项兴趣团体在内的广泛公民科学家群体参与，我们希望能提升社会大众对支持相关研究的认知——以此更好地认识自然世界，推动生态保护并改善海洋健康状况。 我们期待在挑战赛结束后尽快整理并发布最终结果，同时向所有参与的公民科学家以及为本次计数工作付出大量努力的参与者致以敬意。SealSpotter门户网站由菲利普岛自然公园（Phillip Island Nature Parks）的研究人员开发，感谢企鹅基金会（Penguin Foundation）提供的慷慨资助。