MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Bahamas Sportfishing Conservation

One-line solution summary:

Using Blockchain as a Conservation Tool - Building Climate Resilient Fisheries, Protecting Livelihoods.

Pitch your solution.

Our oceans are changing. Ecosystems are shifting and scientists predict fish in the Tropics will move northward towards the poles. The top three fisheries in The Bahamas alone generated over $1.4 bill pa in commercial landings for The Bahamas over the past two decades.

I am committed to building climate resilient fisheries and protecting livelihoods. Using technologies such as blockchain and cellular agriculture as innovative conservation tools are my interests. I propose using proof of work blockchain to incentivize the collection of monitoring data to detect climate induced changes to the fishery.

Scaled globally, this solution can detect climate related changes to fisheries in coastal communities allowing for adaptive management. Furthermore, incentivizing fishers (including women) to collect data empowers communities to protect their fisheries while adapting to climate change. Most importantly, this solution can provide supplemental income to communities most impacted by the northward movement of fish from the tropics.

Film your elevator pitch.

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What specific problem are you solving?

The top three fisheries in The Bahamas alone generated over $1.4 bill pa in commercial landings for The Bahamas over the past two decades. This may not seem significant that fisheries represent only 1.2% of the country's GDP but small island nations are particularly vulnerable. They are heavily dependent on limited resources, face increasing pressures on coastal marine environments and resources, have limited economic diversification possibilities and will experience shifting patterns in hurricanes and fish distributions.

Ecosystems are changing and should be closely monitored. This data will allow for adaptive management strategies, safeguarding the livelihoods of small island nations.

My solution will help fill data gaps in a timely manner allowing for quick fisheries management decisions. This data allows for the detection of climate induced changes to the fishery. If a fishery is then observed shifting northwards or new species are introduced, my proposed solution can be designed to detect those changes.

I think any project in the community should involve the community. They are the direct beneficiaries of their resource. Including them allows for the two-way transfer of knowledge. This program will be extended to women fishers, thereby opening new markets and employment opportunities.

What is your solution?

My solution integrates block chain and other data integration and management systems to collect data on key fisheries performance indicators. This data will provide communities and countries with the information they need to make informed conservation decisions. Furthermore, by incentivizing the collection of data, these small island economies can be bolstered.

I propose a pilot study to test the technology and its application as a community based, conservation tool. I envision scientists and fishers deploying data sensors in key fisheries habitats to collect specific environmental parameters (e.g. pH, temperature etc.). This data will be collected to make localized decisions. It is also possible to integrate the local data into data sets of multiple types and from various sources. This allows for the analysis of trends and forecasting so the most effective fisheries management decisions (e.g. habitat restoration, protected areas, closed seasons and community engagement).

Fishers will be equipped with data collection devices and incentivized to visit these data collection points. Investments are sought to add value to the tokens. As fishers collect data, they earn tokens. Your funding will allow me the opportunity to test the practicality of this technology in collaborating with communities to build resilient ecosystems.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

I am working directly to improve the lives of small island nations reliant on their fisheries as a source of food and livelihood. Currently, their way of life and traditional means of fishing as a source of income is changing. Most of these changes are beyond their control (e.g. sea level rise, shifting species, ocean acidification and increased hurricanes) however, they will experience the biggest shocks because of their reliance on these natural resources.

Following the arrival of Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 storm in 2019, Bahamian communities experienced significant loss of lives, fishing equipment and key environmental habitats. A solution such as mine could have allowed for the continued collection of data to inform restoration efforts and broader fisheries management decisions. Furthermore, my solution allows fishers to maintain an income as their fisheries recover. This application can also bolster economies in a post pandemic world.

Being a marine biologist and working in fishing communities I've come to appreciate their knowledge and passion. The social aspect of this project is just as important to me as the biological and the technological. Fishers will be engaged in the development, providing critical field observations. These observations in addition to the scientific literature will inform the most critical data collection points and locations.

They will also be engaged in the data collection process and receive compensation accordingly. Most importantly, they will be active participants in the protection of their resources - with the ultimate vision of building stewards. Fisheries is as much part of the Bahamian economy as it is their culture and to loose a fishery is to lose part of ones identity.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Provide scalable and verifiable monitoring and data collection to track ecosystem conditions, such as biodiversity, carbon stocks, or productivity.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

This solution is an amalgamation of two dimensions. By deploying data collection points within key ecosystems and connecting with larger data sets, this allows for "scalable and verifiable monitoring and data collection" to track mangrove and creek ecosystems. The data collected can inform biodiversity, species distribution and ecosystem productivity.

The second dimension covered is collaborating with communities to "create scalable economic opportunities". Incentivizing the collection of data needed to make management decisions allows for the detection of climate related changes. Management decisions can be adapted based on information gleaned to promote "thriving and biodiverse ecosystems".

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Nassau, Bahamas

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

I am using technologies that already exist such as block chain and biochemical sensors to monitor fisheries and ecosystems. I am testing these technologies on a small island community, Andros Bahamas with a population size of about 7,500 persons. Artisanal, commercial and recreational fisheries form a large part of the island's economy.

Funding will help to incentivize tokens, encouraging the collection and analysis of data critical in detecting changes in biodiversity, species distribution and abundance.

Rather than discussing climate change impacts as an abstract concept, we are providing them with the tools required to collect the data needed. Of course the use and application of the data becomes paramount. If successful, I hope to leverage funding to expand the study even more and build and execute communication and implementation plans.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Executive Director/Chief Scientist