Happywhale: Collaborative Whale Research and Conservation Efforts

Ted Cheeseman believes that collaboration in science enables vital whale conservation efforts.

### Collaborative Conservation: Harnessing AI to Protect Whales
* 🐋 Ted Cheeseman, cofounder of Happywhale, emphasizes the power of collaboration in science, stating, "**any one of us can only do so much, but together, we can document almost every living whale in the North Pacific Ocean**."
* 🌊 Happywhale is a research platform that allows anyone to upload photos of whales, utilizing **AI image recognition** to identify them by the **unique patterns on their tails**.
* 🔍 The AI tool can quickly match photos against a database of **100,000 whales**, revealing their **histories** and making each whale's story **unique and personal**.
* 📊 Tracking whale populations and health serves as an important indicator for the **overall health of ocean ecosystems**, which is critical for **conservation efforts**.
* 🚤 Cheeseman meets with Rob Williams and Erin Ashe from Oceans Initiative to explore how they can **fill data gaps** in whale and dolphin research.
* 🤝 Oceans Initiative aims to advocate for wildlife protection through **informed science and collaboration with policymakers**.
* 🌅 The excitement builds as the team prepares to head out into Monterey Bay, where they anticipate a **peak season for whale sightings**, showcasing the **beauty of nature** and the **thrill of field research**.
* 🌊 Cheeseman reflects on the significance of being in a wild environment, noting the **profound experience of observing nature on such a grand scale**.

(birds chirping)
(bright music) Ted Cheeseman: The great thing about science is that we are better together. Because the reality is, any one of us can only do so much, but together, we can document almost every living whale

in the North Pacific Ocean. (bright music) My name's Ted Cheeseman. I am the cofounder of Happywhale, and we're here in my home office in Santa Cruz, California. (bright music) Well, I was trained as a scientist,

but most of my career was guiding expeditions in Antarctica. So about 10 years ago, I started to make a shift back to science, and in that, I've developed and founded Happywhale. (upbeat music) Happywhale is a research platform

where anybody can upload photos of whales. We can identify them with AI image recognition, but what that looks like is you grab a few photos of a whale's tail. For humpback whales, we use the undersides of their tails.

The AI works as a tool that allows us to speed up the work dramatically. So this is running that query against 100,000 different whales, and it found that whale in a match. The whale had barnacles on its tail, and they left a scar when they fell off,

and that stayed with the whale for the rest of its life. You can see killer whale attack marks, which will be break marks. Also, there's pigment. There's black and white, and everyone's unique, so we can actually identify every single whale.

I can look at the history of sightings of that whale. It was first seen in Baja and then has been seen many times here in Monterey Bay and also right under the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. It ceases to be just a whale,

and suddenly, it becomes an animal with a story. And because we can do this so efficiently with AI as a tool, we're actually able to build large collaborations, where all the researchers of an ocean are able to work together.

(bright music) If we can track them and measure their health and measure the health of their populations, we can essentially use that as an indicator of the health of the oceans. (bright music) (birds chirping) (trunk clicks)

(luggage rustling) (trunk thuds) (upbeat music) We are off to Moss Landing, California, to meet up with Rob and Erin of Oceans Initiative. Rob and Erin are two whale scientists and research scientists I've known for many years,

but we've never worked together in the field, so I'm really excited to be out in the field with them, working out how we can fill this data gap where we've got researchers in the field that don't have the tools

to adequately assess the environment in front of them. (upbeat music) Erin Ashe: I'm Erin Ashe. Rob Williams: I'm Rob Williams. Ashe: And we're the cofounders of Oceans Initiative. Williams: Oceans Initiative is a conservation nonprofit.

We do science on whales and dolphins around the world. (upbeat music) In 2002, Erin and I met at a conference. I think we met and shared this common calling to do science to inform conservation, but more importantly,

make sure that we advocate for policymakers, decision-makers, and all of us, to turn knowledge into action to actually protect wildlife. Ashe: Can't wait to get on the road. (upbeat music) (kick sensor beeps) (trunk door beeps and clicks)

(seat clicks) (upbeat music) (luggage rustling) (car engine revving) (upbeat music) We're almost at the marina, where we're going to meet up with Ted, and so I'm really excited to go out on the boat

and look for whales, look for dolphins and other marine wildlife. And I think this partnership between Oceans Initiative and Happywhale is really going to make an impact in protecting these species that we care about. Williams: Are we okay for gas?

Ashe: This is a hybrid, so it's super efficient. We're not going to have to stop for a while. Williams: Oh, that's great. (upbeat music) (car whooshes) (seagulls squawking) (upbeat music)

(gentle upbeat music) Ashe: Ted! Cheeseman: Erin! Ashe: Hello. Cheeseman: How are you? Ashe: We're really excited to be here. Cheeseman: So excited to have you.

Yeah, the whales are just awesome.
Williams: It's beautiful. Ashe: Really?
Cheeseman: Yeah. We've been out recently, and it's going off. It's a real peak season.
Ashe: Oh my gosh.

Wonderful. The conditions look incredible. Cheeseman: Let's do this.
Ashe: I can't wait to get out there! (gentle upbeat music) Cheeseman: Captain Kate, good to see you.

Kate Spencer: Nice to see you too. Hi, I'm Kate! Ashe: Nice to meet you, I'm Erin! Spencer: Nice to meet you, excited to go out. Williams: Hey, I'm Rob. Spencer: Nice to meet you!

Williams: Nice to meet you. Beautiful boat.
Spencer: Welcome! Welcome to Moss Landing. I'm excited to take you out on my fast raft. We've got a beautiful day, and hopefully, the fog will be receding

away from the shore, so we'll have good visibility. But we know where the whales are. They're pretty easy to find right now. Ashe: All right. Cheeseman: Looking forward to seeing some whales.

Spencer: Yeah, I am too.
Ashe: Yeah. (gentle upbeat music)
(seagulls squawking) (waves crashing) Cheeseman: Going out into Monterey Bay on a boat is a pretty special experience.

because you're out in a very wild and natural environment. It's sort of in the animal zone, nature on a scale that's hard to grasp. (upbeat music) (seagulls squawking)

How AI Is Driving A New Wave Of Whale Conservation | Business Insider

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Introduction to Happywhale and its mission

Collaboration in science is key to achieving more.

Introduction of Ted Cheeseman and Happywhale, a research platform for whale identification.

Happywhale uses AI and whale tail photos for identification.

AI speeds up the identification process, matching whales based on unique markings.

Whale identification allows for tracking and understanding their life stories and movements.

Efficient identification enables large collaborations and ocean health monitoring.

Trip to Moss Landing to meet with Rob and Erin from Oceans Initiative.

Aim to address data gaps by combining field research with Happywhale's tools.

Introduction of Erin Ashe and Rob Williams from Oceans Initiative, a conservation nonprofit.

Shared goal of using science to inform conservation and policy.

Anticipation for whale watching and the impact of the collaboration.

Meeting between Ted, Erin, and Rob at the marina.

Discussion about the abundance of whales during peak season.

Introduction to Captain Kate and her boat.

Anticipation for whale watching and good visibility.

Description of the unique experience of being in Monterey Bay.