What is ICONIC Oceans and why is it needed?

The lack of diversity in ocean science and conservation stands in stark contrast to the increasingly diverse populations living along coastlines, resulting in less effective and inclusive research, management, and advocacy. ​This has led to a mistrust between stakeholders, scientists, and policy makers. By bridging this gap and supporting scientists and stakeholders from communities often disenfranchised in marine conservation conversations, we can gain valuable knowledge that has been otherwise ignored that can only be gathered in collaboration with coastal communities.

ICONIC Oceans aims to connect scientists, policy makers, fishers and other community stakeholders to conserve, protect and sustainably use marine resources. The emphasis of the program will be on inclusive conservation efforts focused on Black, indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), economically disadvantaged communities and communities that rely on the ocean’s resources for survival or economic stability. ​

To work towards the above, we will:

1. Build a data sharing database where participants can share and access data
2. Support expenses for data collection and storage at various field sites (data collection hubs) established in collaboration with local scientists, community members, fishers and stakeholders 
3. Host an annual summit for participants to come together to discuss issues and solutions facing their communities

Current Projects

​Bonnethead Ampullae of Lorenzini Density
Training Hub Lead: Dr. Lauren Simonitis
Mentors: Dr. Callie Crawford, Dr. Katherine Corn, Dr. Jennifer Hodge, Dr. Matt Kolmann, Kathy Liu
Mentees: Sonia Ali, Grace Solevilla-Moreno, Ingrid Reyes

Behavioral and fluid interactions among schooling and migrating elasmobranchs
Mentor: Dr. Brooke Flemming
Mentees: A-bel Gong, Talmud Daud, Heidy Martinez, Danna Sanchez Hernandez

Characterization of data deficient fisheries
Training Hub Leads: Dr. Toby Daly-Engel, Dr. Alyssa Andres, Dr. Sora Kim
Mentor: Jasmin Graham
Field Research Leads: Ingrid Hyrycena dos Santos, Lara Fola-Matthews, Meghana Binraji, Buddhi Maheshika
Mentees: Annais Muschett-Bonilla, Chris Sarkis, Mckenzie Zapata, Rose Leeger, Karson Burton-Reeder, Michelle Huang, Raven Harrison, Ashley Mocorro-Powell

Characterization of Bull Shark Nurseries
Project Leads: Dr. Alyssa Andres and Jasmin Graham
Locations: Florida and North Carolina

Effects of Florida Red Tide on Sharks
Project Leads: Jasmin Graham, Dr. Alyssa Andres, and Chris Spear 
Mentees: Sonia Ali, Karen McDaniel-Tolentino

The Framework (ICON)

Integrated: Integrates processes across traditional disciplines (i.e., physical, chemical, and biological) and across spatial and/or temporal scales. It also integrates local and indigenous knowledge from communities and stakeholders.
Coordinated: Coordinates use of consistent protocols across systems to generate data that is interoperable across systems and researchers. Training provided on field, analysis and lab techniques through annual summit, virtual training courses and protocols accessible through the database.
Open: Openly exchanges data, software, and models throughout the research lifecycle that are findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable such that all researchers are enabled to contribute and leverage resources. Database will be open to all in the network and will be designed in such a way that minimizes computational energy required to access it. Data hubs will also be provided with tools and equipment to upload, process, and share data.
Networked: Networks efforts, whereby data generation and/or sample collection are done with and for the scientific community, creating research that is mutually beneficial while providing resources (e.g., data, models, sensors) to contributors (including community stakeholders) that otherwise would be difficult or impossible for them to access.