Citizen Science—Ocean Networks Canada

Ocean Networks Canada live video stream

Region: All of Canada
Activity type: Indoor, computer based
How you help: By watching videos
Resources required: Internet connection

Ocean Networks Canada have set up an incredible network of cabled observatories along the west coast of Canada. Some of the observing stations include cameras so you can watch marine life at the bottom of the ocean from your computer. The Barkley Canyon camera is at a depth of 894 metres, which is nearly three times deeper than the deepest ever SCUBA dive!

Kirril Dudko, a 14-year-old boy from Ukraine, was watching the footage from Ocean Networks’ camera at the bottom of Barkley Canyon when he spotted a large mammal eating a hagfish. He contacted Ocean Networks to help him identify the mammal he had seen. Scientists watched the clip and were excited to identify the animal as a female northern elephant seal. The footage that Kirril had watched was the first time this seal had been spotted eating on the seafloor at this depth.

The video cameras on the Barkley Canyon node collect about 15 minutes of video every 2 hours—far too much footage for scientists to watch themselves. If you start streaming the video from their website, perhaps you’ll be the next citizen scientist to make a big breakthrough!