Donors

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Projects

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Southeast Asia

A SeaLifeBase mini-project funded by the ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) in 2010 endeavoured to improve the coverage of marine biodiversity, particularly of invertebrates of Southeast Asia. Data on nomenclature, geography, biology and ecology of the species in this region were made available online through SeaLifeBase and also in ACB’s information sharing service. The first of a 2-part report included accounts of national and regional biodiversity, life history analysis of select species and an example of biodiversity and tourism and management interplay. (Full text)

French Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Territories (Southern Oceans)

In 2011, an effort to improve the coverage of marine biodiversity for the islands of Kermadec (Full text) , Crozet and Terre Adélie, was done in parallel with and in support of the fisheries reconstruction work of the Sea Around Us. It covered biological and ecological data from FishBase for fishes and SeaLifeBase for other marine vertebrates and invertebrates. Exhausting more than 360 references for the 3 main islands of the Southern Oceans, SeaLifeBase and FishBase were able to provide information for 1,609 species from Kerguelen, 360 species from Crozet Island and 766 species from Terre Adelie.

Pitcairn

This work was conducted as part of Global Ocean Legacy project of the Pew Environment Group. In 2011, Sea Around Us worked to provide estimated catches for the Pitcairn Islands from 1950 – 2009. Estimates were for both subsistence (non-commercial) and artisanal (commercial) catches. The marine biodiversity of this island with biological and ecological data were provided by FishBase (www.fishbase.org) for fishes and SeaLifeBase for other marine vertebrates and invertebrates (www.sealifebase.org).

Palomares, M.L.D., Chaitanya, D., Harper, S., Zeller, D., Pauly, D. (eds.), The marine biodiversity and fisheries catches of the Pitcairn Islands p.10-22. A report prepared for the Global Ocean Legacy project of the Pew Environment Group. The Sea Around Us project, Fisheries Centre, UBC, Vancouver, Canada.

Belize

There is a large body of published material available on the marine biodiversity of Belize, including well over 1,000 scientific papers and other documents available online, notably through the Biodiversity and Environment Data System of Belize (BERDS). A large fraction of these publications were based on work done by the Smithsonian Institution in Belize, especially in Carrie Bow Cay. In 2011, with the support of the Oak Foundation through Oceana (www.oceana.org), we briefly review the nature of these documents, which were used to enhance the contents of FishBase (www.fishbase.org) and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org) on fish and other metazoans, respectively. Jointly, these databases not only allow for a near complete inventory of the marine biodiversity of Belize (especially if completed by AlgaeBase;www.algaebase.org), but also will support detailed reviews and impact assessments, via the biological data that these databases make readily accessible.

Palomares, M.L.D., Pauly, D., (2011) Documenting the marine biodiversity of Belize in FishBase and SeaLifeBase. In: Palomares, M.L.D., Pauly, D. (eds.), Too Precious to Drill: the Marine Biodiversity of Belize, pp. 78-106. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 19(6). Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia [ISSN 1198-6727]

Kerguelen

In Mid 2011 to 2012, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN) through P. Pruvost contracted FIN through SeaLifeBase to work on the marine biodiversity of Kerguelen Island, gathering biological and ecological data from FishBase (www.fishbase.org) for fishes and SeaLifeBase for other marine vertebrates and invertebrates (www.sealifebase.org). Through this activity we exhausted 242 references, resulting to 1,609 species being treated for Kerguelen, 102 references, resulting to 360 species being treated for Crozet Island 22 references, resulting to 766 species being treated for Terre Adelie. Data gathered supported the publication below:

Palomares, M.L.D., and D. Pauly (2011) A brief history of fishing in the Kerguelen Islands, France. pp. 15-20. In: Harper, S. and Zeller, D. (eds.) Fisheries catch reconstructions: Islands, Part II. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 19(4). Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia [ISSN1198-6727]

Kermadec Island

In 2012, Sea Around Us of the Fisheries Centre, was commissioned to give an account of the marine biodiversity of the Kermadec Island Group as well as document or reconstruct the fisheries in the islands’ EEZ.

The Kermadec Island group (New Zealand), a marine park since the 1930s, is one of the few bodies of water in the world which has so far escaped extensive exploitation due to its remoteness and inhospitable conditions. These conditions, however, have also made the Kermadec Islands difficult to study. The over 200 scientific documents (1881-2012) treated in this exercise resulted in a species list which contains 193 bony fishes, 24 sharks, at least 46 tetrapods (whales, dolphins, sea turtles and sea birds), and at least 916 invertebrates and 44 macrophytes. SeaLifeBase, together with FishBase, provided a preliminary list of marine species and the bibliography used to assign them to Kermadec Islands.

Palomares, M.L.D., Harper, S., Zeller, D., and D. Pauly (2012) The marine biodiversity and fisheries catches of the Kermadec Island Group. A report prepared for the Global Ocean Legacy project of the Pew Environment Group by the Sea Around Us Project, 51p.

Palomares, M.L.D., Sorongon, P.M.E., Pan, M., Espedido, J.C., Pacres, L.U., Amarga, A., Parducho, V.A., Sampang, A., and N. Bailly (2012) The marine biodiversity of the Kermadec Islands in FishBase and SeaLifeBase. In Palomares, M.L.D., Harper, S., Zeller, D., and D. Pauly (2012) The marine biodiversity and fisheries catches of the Kermadec Island Group. A report prepared for the Global Ocean Legacy project of the Pew Environment Group by the Sea Around Us Project, 51p.

Northwestern Indian Ocean

This activity ran from September 2013 to August 2014 and covered the large marine ecosystems of the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Albeit preliminary, the resulting faunal lists can be used by country experts as baselines to correct and eventually complete and/or improve. This work was done in parallel with and in support of the fisheries reconstruction work of the Sea Around Us, similar to those that were done, e.g., for the Pitcairn Islands or for Belize. We focused on assembling species lists and biological data for marine species for the countries surrounding these large marine ecosystems, i.e., India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, and Somalia. FishBase now has more than 3,000 fish species assigned to this region, while SeaLifeBase has almost 200 non-fish marine vertebrates and more than 2,500 marine invertebrates, and 100 marine plants. This activity improved, at least for SeaLifeBase, our coverage of the region’s marine biodiversity by 100%.

Easter Island

In 2014, an attempt to document the marine biodiversity of Easter Island, was done by gathering biological and ecological data from FishBase (www.fishbase.org) for fishes and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org) for other marine vertebrates and invertebrates, with emphasis on endemic species. Information was obtained from 196 references for fishes and 91 references for marine vertebrates and invertebrates. Comparing the results with the estimates done by Boyko in 2003, our efforts showed a significant increase (67%) in the coverage of marine biodiversity of the Island, from 461 species to 772 species.

Palomares, M.L.D., Bato, E., Espedido, J.C., Urruquia, L.P., Parducho, V., Saniano, M.P., Yap, P.M.S., Sampang, A., Bailly, N. (2014) Easter Island (Rapa Nui) marine biodiversity in FishBase and SeaLifeBase. (unpublished report)

Salish Sea

This activity, done in mid-2014, reviewed the biodiversity of the Salish Sea and its regional components, the Puget Sound and Georgia Strait based on the incorporation into major database, i.e., FishBase (www.fishbase.org) for fish and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org) for other marine organisms, of a massive body of literature data. Because it is incorporated in these massive databases, this information is also vetted for quality and can be compared with information from similar ecosystems. Over 238 fish species are documented for the Salish Sea (152 for Puget Sound, 193 for the Georgia Strait) in FishBase, and over 1600 species of non-fish vertebrates and invertebrates in SeaLifeBase, from a body of over 1800 published references. Through this documentation effort, we can now say that overall, the Salish Sea is as biodiverse as can be expected of a temperate ecosystem of its size, i.e., 18,000 square km. This biodiversity has declined, however, and the causes for which are briefly discussed.

Baltic Sea and North Sea

This work was done in 2014 as part of the Oekofischman project. The Two databases, FishBase (www.fishbase.org) for fishes and SeaLifeBase for other marine vertebrates and invertebrates (www.sealifebase.org), provided species lists with data on taxonomic classification, common name, length, weight, ecosystem status, habitat and food/diet information. The goal was to complete information for non-fish species excluding macrophytes, and complete qualitative data e.g., detritus feeders, herbivorous, carnivorous, omnivorous, for mammals, birds and invertebrates which will be used for a trophic ecology modelling.

Focus on data collection was given to completing the marine biodiversity in the German, North Sea and the whole of Baltic Sea. SeaLifeBase was able to provide 3050 non-fish species (982 species in Germany) occurring in North Sea, using 128 references, and 1408 non-fish species occurring in the Baltic Sea.

French Polynesia

From mid 2014 to early 2015, the species diversity of five archipelagos (Marquesas, Tuamotu, Society, Gambier and Austral Islands) was investigated by establishing some preliminary trends in the archipelago’s marine biodiversity (expressed as a map of habitat preferences) using ecological data from the global information systems, FishBase (www.fishbase.org) for fishes and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org) for other marine vertebrates and invertebrates. An analysis of the time series trends in habitat preferences of commercially exploited species using catch data from the Sea Around Us database (www.seaaroundus.org) was also done with special attention given to pelagic species.

Data from more than 1,600 references for fishes and almost 1,100 references for marine vertebrates and invertebrates were used to gather distribution, biological and ecological data. Habitat preference indices were estimated for 78 pelagic species with AquaMaps data.

Palau

The marine biodiversity of Palau was documented using two global databases FishBase (www.fishbase.org) and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org) in 2015, with data on distribution, biological and ecological data for over 3,400 marine species. Habitat preference indices were also estimated for 53 pelagic species with AquaMaps (www.aquamaps.org) data. Much of the island’s biodiversity are reef-associated and found in the neritic zone. Mapping the distribution of pelagic organisms found in Palau showed that the waters surrounding the main island Babeldaob and some of the smaller islands further south of it, Fana and Sonsorol, have the highest biodiversity of pelagic fishes, a finding that supports the setting up of marine reserves around the main islands.

Palomares, M.L.D., J. Espedido, E. Bato, Parducho, V., R. Polido, R. Gallano, M. Yap, P. Sorongon-Yap, L. Pagulayan, R. Valdestamon, A. Sampang-Reyes, S. Luna and E. Capuli. 2020. Palau Marine Biodiversity in FishBase and SeaLifeBase. pp. 54-64. In Pauly D. and V. Ruiz-Leotaud (eds.) Marine and Freshwater Miscellanea II. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 28(2). Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia.

New Caledonia

In 2015 the marine biodiversity of New Caledonia was investigated. The over 13,300 scientific contributions (1898-2015) used in this review resulted in a species list which now contains 2,348 fishes, and >6,800 non-fish species (35% arthropods; 26% molluscs; 13% cnidarians; 6% foraminiferans; 6% chordates - 306 tunicates, 52 seabirds, 27 dolphins and whales, 5 sea turtles, and 15 sea snakes; 6% sponges, marine worms and algae; and 5% echinoderms). These species lists and the associated information on ecology and biology are available via FishBase (www.fishbase.org) and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org).

Palomares, M.L.D., M. Sorongon-Yap, E. Bato, J.C. Espedido, V. Angelica Parducho, R. Polido, R. Gallano, M. Yap, L. Pagulayan, R. Valdestamon, A. Sampang-Reyes, S. Luna and E. Capuli. 2020. New Caledonia marine biodiversity in FishBase and SeaLifeBase. pp. 74-84 In: Pauly D. and V. Ruiz-Leotaud (eds.) Marine and Freshwater Miscellanea II. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 28(2). Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia.

Australia

From 2018-2020, an effort to improve the coverage of the marine biodiversity of Australia in FishBase (www.fishbase.org) and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org), was done in partnership with the University of Western Australia.

This includes the preliminary list of 12,392 Australian marine species from almost 1600 references, their marine ecoregions, and an overview of available data on ecology, life history, and population dynamics.

Polar Seas

The polar seas are ice covered waters with highly seasonal weather conditions, temperature, formation and extent of sea ice. To date, more than 8,000 marine species are estimated in these waters (5,782 – Arctic; >8,200 – Antarctic). From 2018-2021, a collaboration with the Alfred-Wegener-Institut resulted in a preliminary list of marine species in the polar seas (8,191 species), collated from published documentation and made available via FishBase (www.fishbase.org) and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org), with data on marine ecoregions, ecology, life history and population dynamics.

Palomares, M.L.D., P.M. Sorongon-Yap, J.C. Espedido, V. Angelica Parducho, R. Polido, E. Bato, M. Yap, E. Capuli, K. Reyes, S. Luna, J. Jansalin, T. Brey and T. Miller. 2020. Documenting the marine biodiversity of the polar seas through FishBase And SeaLifeBase. pp. 65-73 In: Pauly D. and V. Ruiz-Leotaud (eds.) Marine and Freshwater Miscellanea II. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 28(2). Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia.

Europe (Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Baltic Sea, Bay of Biscay, Black Sea, Levantine Sea, North Sea and Western Mediterranean Sea)

A comprehensive review of available information and potential gaps for eight major groups of marine non-fish species was conducted from September 2021 to February 2022, relevant to modelling work and analyses related to ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) within Ecoscope. Eight sites (i.e., Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Baltic Sea, Bay of Biscay, Black Sea, Levantine Sea, North Sea and Western Mediterranean Sea) were covered, with an analysis of information coverage for eight biological characteristics (diet, fecundity, maturity, length-weight relationships, spawning, growth, lifespan, and natural mortality). Among the groups, sea turtles and marine mammals proved to have good and moderate information coverage, respectively in five of the sites. Coverage on biological characteristics were well-studied in seven of the sites, for some commercial species, though less for threatened species listed. Thus, recommendations for species prioritization was given in addressing the completeness of information for those species.

Abucay, L.R., P. Sorongon-Yap, K. Kesner-Reyes, E.C. Capuli, R.B. Reyes Jr., E. Daskalaki, C. Ferrà, G. Scarcella, G. Coro, F. Ordines, P. Sánchez-Zulueta, G. Dakalov, S. Klayn, L. Celie, M. Scotti, D. Grémillet, C. Lambert, G. Gal, M.L.D. Palomares, D. Dimarchopoulou and A.C. Tsikliras. 2023. Scientific knowledge gaps on the biology of non-fish marine species across European Seas. Front. Mar. Sci. 10:https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1198137

Northeast Atlantic (North Sea and Baltic Sea, FAO 27)

A baseline estimate of marine species in the North Sea and Baltic Sea was conducted, leading to a comprehensive literature search focused on identified priority groups (cnidarians, crustaceans, echinoderms, fishes—sharks and rays, molluscs, sponges, seabirds, and sea turtles). Additionally, an evaluation of the completeness of ecological data for these priority species groups was carried out in partnership with the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB). Both efforts took place from May to December 2023.

Oman

In mid-2023, a collaboration with the Sultanate of Oman’s Fisheries Research at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Wealth and Water Resources, aimed to improve the coverage of species occurring in the waters of Oman. This allowed the creation of a preliminary list of 2,354 species from published sources made available via FishBase (www.fishbase.org) and SeaLifeBase (www.sealifebase.org). The list includes 965 species of bony fishes, 53 sharks, 35 rays, 98 other vertebrates (whales, dolphins, and sea birds), and at least 1,142 invertebrates and 61 plant species (including microalgae). This effort, almost doubled the species coverage for Oman.