By Samantha Farquhar

In short, a Fishackathon is a competition that brings data savvy people together to develop technology-based solutions to tackle large-scale fisheries issues.

‘Hackathon’ events are increasingly being used as way to source big data solutions for global problems. For example, past hackathons have worked to address human trafficking, inequality, and even water scarcity.  On February 10th and 11th, Hackernest, a non-profit tech community, and the U.S. State Department adapted the hackathon concept by hosting a ‘Fishackaton’ in over 30 cities worldwide. Teams were asked to create solutions for one of  eleven different challenges such as improving the traceability of seafood, passively detecting illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, and creating a registration system for small-scale vessels. Winners of the competition then received support and funding to help implement their solution.

Eager to experience the event, I stopped by the Fishackathon on the first day of the competition which was being held downtown at the vocational coding school, Epicodus.  Rooms were full of computers and lined with white boards that had code, messy flowcharts, and ideas scribbled about them in some sort of organized chaos. Teams were huddled up and scattered throughout the facility and frantically working to complete the challenge in 36 hours. The majority of participants were highly experienced and employed by some of the big tech companies in Seattle. Knowing how stable these companies are, I was curious to understand the motivations of those participating. When I caught up with some of the participants, they repeatedly commented on the fun of having a challenge and the self-fulfillment of being able to contribute to a greater good.

Ultimately, it was inspiring to meet “non-fish” people who were passionate about the environment, and to learn innovative ways that data can be utilized. Currently, the Fishackathon solutions are under review and the global winner will be announced soon. Past solutions from Fishackathons have included predicting the location of invasive species, tracking fishing vessel fuel subsidies, and even creating a easier way to measure fish length.

If you’re someone who isn’t very data savvy (I can barely code in R), don’t worry!  You still can be a valuable hackathon participant by sharing in-depth knowledge. It was this exact type of collaborative, interdisciplinary teamwork that led to the creation of Global Fishing Watch, a partnership between Google, Skytruth, and Oceana. Together, they created the first-ever publicly available commercial fishing database which has since been used by governments, NGOs, and researchers alike to mitigate illegal fishing.

As large data sets become more publicly available, understanding and embracing their use will allow for increased understanding of complex issues. However, this will only be possible with the combined efforts of both technological and technical expertise. Think you are ready? Well, if you are part of the UW, be on the lookout for the SAFS Research Derby where student teams have one day to come up with innovative solutions for big questions in marine science. If You are outside UW, don’t fear! Competitions are continuously appearing. For example, National Geographic is currently offering $450,000 for solutions that detect illegal fishing in coastal communities.