A Global Mission

The Ocean Census is a global mission to discover, document and share the diversity of life in our ocean — before it’s lost.

Join the Census

We are an Alliance of scientists, governments, marine research institutes, museums, philanthropy, technology, media and civil society partners.

Join the
Census

The global mission to discover ocean life — powered by the Ocean Census Alliance.

We are inviting visionary partners — scientists, marine institutes, philanthropies, governments, business, NGOs and civil society organisations – to join the Census and reimagine discovery – fast, open, collaborative, equitable and at scale – and join us on the mission to advance our knowledge of ocean life, empower conservation and fuel innovation.

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Scientists

Uniting scientists from over 400 marine institutes to power the Census and scale species discovery – through expeditions, Species Discovery Workshops and Awards and giving voice to the Census.

Research Institutes

National and philanthropic marine research institutes, museums and universities enable the Census to operate at scale – leading and participating in expeditions, workshops, unlocking legacy collections, data publishing, advancing related biodiversity research, and policy and public engagement.

Philanthropy
& Funders

Philanthropy underpins the Census, scaling species discovery in priority areas and advancing science, capacity development, policy implementation, innovation and ocean protection at national and global scales.

Government
& Policymakers

Draw on the Ocean Census species data to underpin national and international climate, biodiversity, and development strategies and commitments – whilst helping to scale the Census through directing national research institutes and research capacity to participate in and contribute to the global programme.

NGOs & Civil Society

Turning scientific discoveries from the Census into planetary action – and galvanise national and international programs to protect biodiversity, strengthen capacity and inspire public and policy engagement and action.

Business &
Enterprises

From data to sequencing, from marine operations to imaging, from finance to media, businesses deploy their skills, resources and brand power – serving to speed up, scale up and increase the impact of our mission – to discover ocean life.

Join the census

An Alliance of scientists, governments, marine research institutes, museums, philanthropy, technology, media and civil society partners.