Citizen Science App Turns Indian Fishers into Marine Biodiversity Documentarians

Few observers witness the full richness of ocean biodiversity as intimately as fishers do. Yet despite widespread smartphone ownership across India’s fishing communities, visual documentation of daily catches has remained rare—until a team of scientists gave them a compelling reason to start recording.

In 2024, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR–CMFRI) launched the Marine Fishery Machine Learning Routines of Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (MARLIN) Android application. The platform invites fishers nationwide to upload high-quality images and videos of the species they encounter, building a comprehensive visual database that strengthens regulatory compliance and supports marine conservation.

An App to Document Indian Marine Life

The concept emerged unexpectedly, according to Eldho Varghese, a senior scientist at ICAR–CMFRI with expertise in statistics and computer science who spearheaded the project. Before joining CMFRI, Varghese’s team had developed an AI tool that used visual analysis to count wheat spikes on a conveyor belt. Upon transferring to the marine division, he recognized the potential to adapt that approach for fish identification and database creation.

Despite growing efforts in biodiversity documentation, India’s marine data have remained fragmented, sparse, and methodologically inconsistent. As a citizen-science initiative, MARLIN empowers fishers to accurately identify marine species—including deep-sea varieties—helping them comply with Wildlife Department regulations while simultaneously filling critical gaps in biodiversity records.

MARLIN enables users, predominantly fishers, to upload photographs of marine species encountered within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone, creating a nationwide visual repository. Since its launch, CMFRI reports strong adoption, with submissions revealing remarkable species diversity and a steadily increasing volume of contributions. The app’s geotagging feature records precise catch locations, supplying researchers and conservationists with vital distribution data for various species.

The platform currently accepts submissions across five categories: Fish, Jellyfish, Algal Blooms, Sharks and Rays, and Fishing Crafts and Invertebrates. Contributors can provide details via text or voice notes, the latter addressing language and literacy barriers that might otherwise hinder participation. To protect contributors’ intellectual property, the database is not publicly downloadable—a deliberate safeguard against unauthorized commercial exploitation of fishers’ visual content. “Just because our fishers aren’t content creators doesn’t mean stealing their intellectual property is any less serious,” Varghese emphasized.

MARLIN’s More Than 150,000 Images and Counting

A ten-member team manages MARLIN, including five fish taxonomists who verify and curate uploaded media. While the taxonomy team currently transcribes voice notes manually, an AI transcription tool is under development. The next major milestone, Varghese noted, is implementing automated species identification from visual data.

“We have over 150,000 images in the database right now, which is considerably increasing each day,” Varghese said.

MARLIN’s contributions to understanding Indian marine ecosystems are already advancing conservation initiatives. CMFRI has partnered with the Wildlife Trust of India to document whale shark sightings and landings through the app, and Varghese has presented the platform’s achievements at international marine conferences.

“Some fishers have been consistent contributors since launch,” Varghese said. “We’re now planning a nationwide seminar to recognize top contributors with certificates and economic incentives for data that significantly enriches our knowledge of the ocean.”

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