The mission of the Ocean Census is to accelerate the discovery of ocean life to advance fundamental science, empower conservation and fuel innovation to sustain and advance life on Earth.
The Census is jointly undertaken by the Ocean Census Alliance – uniting national and philanthropic marine institutes, museums and universities, backed by governments, philanthropy, business and civil society partners.
The Ocean Census Alliance is a growing network of scientists, governments, marine institutes, museums, philanthropy, technology, media and civil society partners working together to accelerate species discovery.
The Ocean Census Secretariat coordinates Alliance activities, managing and funding core programmes including expeditions, the Science Network, Species Discovery Workshops and Awards and the Biodiversity Data Platform.
This FAQ section answers common questions about the Ocean Census, our research, expeditions, and the impact of species discovery. If you don’t find what you're looking for, feel free to get in touch.
Be part of the world’s largest effort to discover and document ocean life. At the Ocean Census, we bring together scientists, explorers, technologists, and communicators to accelerate species discovery and expand global biodiversity knowledge.
Uniting scientists from over 500 marine institutes to power the Census and scale species discovery – through expeditions, Species Discovery Workshops and Awards and give voice to the Census.
Enabling 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.
Drawing on 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, resources and capacity to participate in and contribute to the global programme.
Underpinning the Census, scaling species discovery in priority areas and advancing science, capacity development, policy implementation, innovation and ocean protection at national and global scales.
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.
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.
The Ocean Census Science Network is a worldwide community of marine biologists, taxonomists, geneticists, ecologists, and conservationists working together to accelerate species discovery and expand our knowledge of ocean life.
Gain access to expeditions, Discovery Workshops, research funding, training, and a global community of scientists working to uncover the ocean’s hidden biodiversity.
Supporting exceptional taxonomists, biodiversity, and community scientists in marine species discovery. These awards focus on advancing research, particularly from legacy collections, to uncover new marine species from specimens stored in museums and research institutes.
Uniting taxonomists, geneticists, marine biologists, and ecologists to identify, classify, and describe new marine species. Using high-resolution imaging, genetic barcoding, and sequencing, these workshops accelerate discovery while sharing knowledge and co-developing scalable techniques across the programme.
The Ocean Census Resources Hub provides access to scientific publications, expedition reports, scientific data handling guidelines, and policy insights.
The Ocean Census Expeditions are unlocking the secrets of marine biodiversity, travelling to some of the most unexplored and biologically rich regions of the ocean.
Our expeditions are made possible through global partnerships with scientists, research institutions, governments, and funders. Explore all expeditions as we work together to accelerate marine species discovery.
The Ocean Census Expedition Awards provide support to taxonomists, biodiversity and community scientists who wish to take part in an existing expedition onboard a research vessel.
Explore some of the remarkable species uncovered by the Ocean Census Science Network, and access the full database of discoveries through the Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform.
Our hub for the latest discoveries, stories, and insights from the Ocean Census. Explore our latest news, in-depth features, videos, press releases, and exclusive media content showcasing our groundbreaking research and expeditions. Stay informed and inspired as we uncover the unknown depths of our ocean.
Stay up to date with the newest discoveries, breakthroughs, and updates from the world’s largest mission to explore ocean life. Explore press releases, announcements, and key developments as we accelerate the discovery and documentation of marine species worldwide.
Dive into our latest expedition updates and behind-the-scenes insights into how the Ocean Census is accelerating marine species discovery. Explore exclusive footage, expert interviews, and in-depth articles showcasing the technology, science, and people driving our mission.
Join us beneath the surface through compelling videos that capture the heart of our mission. From expedition highlights to expert interviews, dive into the stories that power Ocean Census—where discovery meets innovation.
Explore our latest scientific reports, research papers, and expert insights on marine species discovery. Dive into in-depth analyses, expedition findings, and groundbreaking studies that advance our understanding of ocean life.
We invite journalists, filmmakers, and media professionals to cover our discoveries and collaborate on storytelling. Opportunities include exclusive interviews with scientists, joining an expedition, early access to discoveries, high-resolution media assets, and collaboration on science-focused projects.
The mission of the Ocean Census is to accelerate the discovery of ocean life to advance fundamental science, empower conservation and fuel innovation to sustain and advance life on Earth.
The Census is jointly undertaken by the Ocean Census Alliance – uniting national and philanthropic marine institutes, museums and universities, backed by governments, philanthropy, business and civil society partners.
The Ocean Census Alliance is a growing network of scientists, governments, marine institutes, museums, philanthropy, technology, media and civil society partners working together to accelerate species discovery.
The Ocean Census Secretariat coordinates Alliance activities, managing and funding core programmes including expeditions, the Science Network, Species Discovery Workshops and Awards and the Biodiversity Data Platform.
This FAQ section answers common questions about the Ocean Census, our research, expeditions, and the impact of species discovery. If you don’t find what you're looking for, feel free to get in touch.
Be part of the world’s largest effort to discover and document ocean life. At the Ocean Census, we bring together scientists, explorers, technologists, and communicators to accelerate species discovery and expand global biodiversity knowledge.
Uniting scientists from over 500 marine institutes to power the Census and scale species discovery – through expeditions, Species Discovery Workshops and Awards and give voice to the Census.
Enabling 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.
Drawing on 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, resources and capacity to participate in and contribute to the global programme.
Underpinning the Census, scaling species discovery in priority areas and advancing science, capacity development, policy implementation, innovation and ocean protection at national and global scales.
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.
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.
The Ocean Census Science Network is a worldwide community of marine biologists, taxonomists, geneticists, ecologists, and conservationists working together to accelerate species discovery and expand our knowledge of ocean life.
Gain access to expeditions, Discovery Workshops, research funding, training, and a global community of scientists working to uncover the ocean’s hidden biodiversity.
Supporting exceptional taxonomists, biodiversity, and community scientists in marine species discovery. These awards focus on advancing research, particularly from legacy collections, to uncover new marine species from specimens stored in museums and research institutes.
Uniting taxonomists, geneticists, marine biologists, and ecologists to identify, classify, and describe new marine species. Using high-resolution imaging, genetic barcoding, and sequencing, these workshops accelerate discovery while sharing knowledge and co-developing scalable techniques across the programme.
The Ocean Census Resources Hub provides access to scientific publications, expedition reports, scientific data handling guidelines, and policy insights.
The Ocean Census Expeditions are unlocking the secrets of marine biodiversity, travelling to some of the most unexplored and biologically rich regions of the ocean.
Our expeditions are made possible through global partnerships with scientists, research institutions, governments, and funders. Explore all expeditions as we work together to accelerate marine species discovery.
The Ocean Census Expedition Awards provide support to taxonomists, biodiversity and community scientists who wish to take part in an existing expedition onboard a research vessel.
Explore some of the remarkable species uncovered by the Ocean Census Science Network, and access the full database of discoveries through the Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform.
Our hub for the latest discoveries, stories, and insights from the Ocean Census. Explore our latest news, in-depth features, videos, press releases, and exclusive media content showcasing our groundbreaking research and expeditions. Stay informed and inspired as we uncover the unknown depths of our ocean.
Stay up to date with the newest discoveries, breakthroughs, and updates from the world’s largest mission to explore ocean life. Explore press releases, announcements, and key developments as we accelerate the discovery and documentation of marine species worldwide.
Dive into our latest expedition updates and behind-the-scenes insights into how the Ocean Census is accelerating marine species discovery. Explore exclusive footage, expert interviews, and in-depth articles showcasing the technology, science, and people driving our mission.
Join us beneath the surface through compelling videos that capture the heart of our mission. From expedition highlights to expert interviews, dive into the stories that power Ocean Census—where discovery meets innovation.
Explore our latest scientific reports, research papers, and expert insights on marine species discovery. Dive into in-depth analyses, expedition findings, and groundbreaking studies that advance our understanding of ocean life.
We invite journalists, filmmakers, and media professionals to cover our discoveries and collaborate on storytelling. Opportunities include exclusive interviews with scientists, joining an expedition, early access to discoveries, high-resolution media assets, and collaboration on science-focused projects.
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.
“We have a race against time to discover ocean life before it is lost for generations to come. Ocean Census will create an immense wealth of openly accessible knowledge that will benefit and sustain all life on Earth.” – Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair, The Nippon Foundation
The Ocean Census, founded by The Nippon Foundation and Nekton in 2023, is the most ambitious program of ocean bio-discovery in history.
Species discovery began with the first expeditions in November 2023 and the Ocean Census Year 2 Impact Report details the programme’s progress from April 2024 to March 2025 – a critical period of development. Highlights include:
Discovery at speed. Scientists from the Science Network documented over 900 new species —increasing global, annual marine discovery rates by 38%
Global collaboration: Six expeditions and five Species Discovery Workshops undertaken by scientists from the Ocean Census Science Network of over 800 scientists from more than 400 institutions.
Knowledge for action: the launch of the open-access Biodiversity Data Platform (BETA) to publish new species data far faster than traditional methods, giving governments, policy makers, scientists and communities real-time tools to manage and protect marine ecosystems.
Investments in taxonomy: through taxonomist participation in expeditions, leading workshops and 19 Species Discovery Awards.
Inspiring public engagement: 1700+ news features strengthening news and public interest in species discovery.
With the species discovery pathway and data publishing systems proven in Year 2, the Impact Report concludes looking ahead and the opportunities to acclerate species discovery and increase impact:
Scaling up discovery: Through the participation of more national and philanthropic marine research institutes and unlocking Legacy Collections (175,000+ undocumented new species within museums and institutes).
Speeding up discovery: Through Expeditions, Discovery Workshops and Awards, unlocking legacy collections and harnessing technological innovations in sequencing, imaging & machine learning.
Catalysing global impact: By turning scientific discoveries from the Census into planetary action -galvanising national and international programmes to protect biodiversity, fuel innovation and inspire public and policy action.
With special thanks to the Ocean Census Alliance partners and participating marine scientists from the Science Network, and founding partners The Nippon Foundation and Nekton.
Join the census
An Alliance of scientists, governments, marine research institutes, museums, philanthropy, technology, media and civil society partners.
