Happywhale: AI Technology for Whale Identification and Research

Happywhale's AI platform helps scientists efficiently identify whales, accelerating ocean research and conservation efforts.

### Collaboration for Whale Conservation: Merging Technology and Research
* 🐋 Ted Cheeseman introduces Happywhale, a research platform that utilizes **AI image recognition** for whale identification through uploaded photos.
* 🌊 Excitement builds as Cheeseman meets whale scientists Rob and Erin in Moss Landing, California, for their **first field collaboration**.
* 🚤 The experience of being out in Monterey Bay is described as **magical**, connecting scientists with the natural environment and **inspiring new research directions**.
* 📸 Cheeseman and the team successfully identify a whale using AI, showcasing the **distinct features that link it to previous sightings** in Baja and Monterey Bay.
* 🌍 They reflect on the positive changes in the ocean's health over the past 60 years, highlighting the **recovery of marine life** and the **importance of sustainable practices**.
* 💻 After a day of observation, Cheeseman uses Wi-Fi to upload their whale photos to Happywhale, emphasizing the **efficiency of technology in research**.
* 🔍 The collaboration aims to **combine efforts to better understand whale populations and their social networks**, enhancing conservation strategies.
* 🤝 Cheeseman expresses optimism about the partnership between Happywhale and Oceans Initiative, believing that together they can **significantly advance whale conservation efforts globally**.

(upbeat instrumental music) Ted Cheeseman: Happywhale is a research platform where anyone can upload photos of whales. We can identify them with AI image recognition. We are off to Moss Landing, California, to meet up with Rob and Erin,

two whale scientists and researchers I've known for many years, but we've never worked together in the field, so I'm really excited. (gulls squawking)
(gentle music) Going out into Monterey Bay on a boat,

it's a pretty special experience because you're out in a very wild and natural environment. It's sort of in the animal zone. Nature at a scale that's hard to grasp. Erin Ashe: Oh wow. Cheeseman: Ah, here come the whales.

Ashe: Ah! (camera shutters clicking) Cheeseman: Whale up at nine o'clock. (camera shutters clicking) Here comes the fluke sequence. Rob Williams: Nice.
Cheeseman: Nice. Ashe: Nice.
Cheeseman: Nice, nice.

Ashe: Beautiful. It is just inspiring to go out on the water. I find myself making new connections and being inspired to start new lines of research. Cheeseman: Looks like a young animal. Ashe: Oh yeah.

Williams: I think a lot of the science that we do can start to feel very hypothetical, very academic, and there's just something magical about being in the field and being on the water, and feeling the salt spray

And seeing and hearing the animals that you study. It reminds you why you got into the field in the first place. Cheeseman: Okay, so let's try to identify that whale. There's a quick crop. Send it to the AI machine, and we have a match.

Ashe: Oh my gosh. Cheeseman: Absolutely. Yeah, there you go. So you can see the barnacle scars, that show that match. Ashe: Yeah. Cheeseman: And then that trailing edge

is quite distinct, and a little bit of white pigment on the right side. Williams: Yep. Cheeseman: So now we can take a look at where this whale's known from. It's been seen just four times since April.

First seen in Baja and then all the other sightings here in Monterey Bay. There you go, cool. Ashe: That's amazing. Williams: That is so cool. Cheeseman: This is a place where the ocean was very unhealthy.

Go back 60 years, there weren't whales, there weren't seals, there weren't kelp forests, there weren't sea otters, and the fisheries had collapsed because of overfishing. Well now we have a strong fishing industry,

a strong conservation industry, a strong tourism industry, and all of these things are working together because we're managing it well. Well hey, let's take a little drive. Go look at some of the images we got. Look at them on the laptop.

Ashe: Yeah. Williams: We got a lot of good photos. Cheeseman: Awesome stuff. Williams: Terrific. Cheeseman: Yeah, follow me to a spot I have in mind. Williams: Okay. Ashe: All right.

(upbeat music) Cheeseman: Cool, let's check out some of these whales we photographed. Williams: Yeah, I can't wait. Cheeseman: I'm going to use your Toyota's Wi-Fi connect to upload these directly to Happywhale.

Williams: Very cool. Ashe: Okay. Cheeseman: So there you go, there's the whale with the killer whale scars. Ashe: Wow, yeah. Cheeseman: These markings match a known individual here. Williams: Yeah.

Cheeseman: Okay, here's another. I know by the catalog number this is a whale known from Mexico. Oh wow, really clear match here. This scar across the tail. Ashe: Mm-hmm. Williams: Yeah.

Cheeseman: I wonder if that was an entanglement. So here's our voyage track for the day. Ashe: Oh, look at that. Cheeseman: This is where the heart of the anchovy schools were in Monterey Bay.

You know, the human eye tends to focus on the most obvious features. The computer is taking a broader view, which is really important, I think, for the work that you want to do. So tell me about this white-sided dolphin. What do you use to identify it?

Ashe: Where we look at the distinctiveness of the fin. So if it has a nice notch like that, we're able to track that through time. Williams: Erin has a thousand to 2000 individuals in her catalog.

Ashe: Right. Williams: It takes months to match the photographs of that. This is exactly what we need to shrink that time from data collection to knowledge. Ashe: We'd be able to get estimates of how many there are

and information about their Williams: social network. Ashe: Societies, yes. Cheeseman: Our work could be really better together if we combine that effort, you know? And I mean it is so important to understand what's going on with these animals.

Williams: Let's do it. Cheeseman: Let's do it. (upbeat music) (gulls squawking) (gentle music) Cheeseman: The day with Rob and Erin was excellent. It's beautiful to connect with scientists like Rob

and Erin from Oceans Initiative. You know, they have this real inspiration and love of using good whale science to create better outcomes for managing oceans. Ashe: We had an incredible day out on the water with Ted, and it was fantastic to see the technology firsthand.

And I think this technology holds so much promise to protect whales and dolphins in the Pacific Northwest. Williams: And I'm just so excited to go back and start working together. Happywhale and Oceans Initiative, to work on killer whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins,

Humpback whales in the Pacific Northwest, and frankly, around the world. Cheeseman: I feel like Oceans Initiative and Happywhale can really go places together, with their science and inspiration, and our technology and know-how. Really, we're better together.

Go Whale Watching In Monterey, California, With Leading Conservationists | Business Insider

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Business Insider

Introduction to Happywhale and the research trip

Happywhale is introduced as a research platform using AI for whale identification.

The researchers are going to Moss Landing, California to work with whale scientists.

The experience of being in Monterey Bay is described as special and wild.

Whale identification using Happywhale's AI

Researchers observe and photograph whales.

A whale is identified using Happywhale's AI, matching barnacle scars and other features.

Specific markings on the whale are noted and matched with previous sightings.

The area's past environmental issues are described.

The current thriving ecosystem is highlighted, including fishing, conservation, and tourism.

The team reviews the photos, uploading them to Happywhale.

Specific whales are identified from the images, noting unique markings.

A whale with a scar is discussed, speculating on its cause.

The voyage track is shown, correlating with anchovy schools.

The difference between human and computer observation is discussed.

The scientists discuss the time-consuming nature of manual whale identification.

The potential of Happywhale to speed up research and provide population estimates is highlighted.

The researchers express enthusiasm for future collaboration.

Positive reflections on the day's collaboration are shared.

The potential of Happywhale's technology for whale conservation is emphasized.

Future research plans involving Happywhale and Oceans Initiative are outlined.

The researchers express their belief in the synergistic potential of their combined efforts.