Because deployment of System 001
was a first-of-a-kind
we needed to make sure that we were prepared for it
and we were ready to deal with the unknown.
So, two years ago we actually started work, together with an independent company
that helped us understand the risk and the consequences
of deploying System 001 into the ocean environment
We’re here at NOAA Southwest Fishery Science Center
conducting a training today with people from The Ocean Cleanup
so that when they’re out in the field
whether it’s deploying their boom for trash collection
or whether it’s recovering the trash from that’s accumulated in that boom
they’ll have a better knowledge of how to care for animals
that they might interact with.
And, ultimately if The Ocean Cleanup team is able to complete their job
the oceans are gonna be a better place at the end of the day.
The safety of the animal and the safety of the people have to go together towards
the main goal, which is having a successful mission.
When we basically step on the boat
and we started to sail out
towing Wilson behind
we already started observation,
we already started monitoring the environment;
we wanted to make sure that the barrier was safe
for the environment from the moment, it would leave the coast
until the moment it would return on it.
We had an independent observer from Seiche Group
and they are a marine mammal and protected species observer
they joined the vessel.
I’m here as a protected species observer
and what a protected species observer does is
they continuously monitor the marine environment for marine animals
particularly marine mammals and turtles - so whales and dolphins and turtles.
And so what we’d be continuously doing while we’re up on the top deck,
scanning the oceans with our binoculars is looking for signs of life,
so that could be anything from splashes
to blows
and maybe also we’re looking for signs of bird activities
then we would note down what animals we have there
and also maybe their behavior
and if they are displaying any behavioral traits
towards the barrier itself.
Technology like this, to try to solve the problem
has never been developed before,
has never been deployed before
and the only way to learn the possible consequence, the possible effect
is basically to be like a doctor on a patient.
You have to monitor constantly,
try to understand what are the changes -if there’s any-
and try to mitigate them.
We have to make sure that we were able to really understand
what was going on in the environment surrounding the system.
To do so, we basically used technology,
like, for example, drone and the AutoNaut.
An AutoNaut is a complex machine that uses wave motion for propulsion
the AutoNaut that The Ocean Cleanup used in this mission
was, equipped with wave motion, with ADCP
that allows you to understand the current, or underwater camera, for example.
And basically, it’s an instrument that allows you to do visual inspection
in the middle of the ocean,
also when the weather condition doesn’t allow human operation.
It can be in a heavy storm and still be moving around.
We used this extensively during mission number one
because the AutoNaut can really move near the system,
up to less than two meters from the barrier, collecting videos
of above and underwater, and sending all of this
in live-streaming to the boat.
In addition to the visuals that we’re doing,
we’re also monitoring acoustically for marine mammals
so Seiche has provided The Ocean Cleanup
with Passive Acoustic Monitoring drift buoys.
We deployed these drift buoys;
they float free of the vessel,
so they’re not attached to the barrier or the vessel.
And it’s really cool technology that we have is
because they will send the signal
that it is received by the hydrophone straight to the vessel in real time,
so I can monitor for any acoustic signals that are in the area
so whether that be from a marine mammal or just boat noise
I can monitor that in real time from the base station.
As a result of four months of monitoring of the system in the ocean environment
we can say that the system resulted really safe for the ocean ecosystem
we never saw a real accumulation of neuston or plankton or eggs, for example, in any part of the system.
We never had any interaction either with fish
or with protected species or with any other component of the ocean environment
that resulted to be damaging the ocean environment.
What we will do - what we will continue to do- at The Ocean Cleanup
is think about the environment at the same time that we’re trying to solve the problem
to develop the right technology to rid the ocean of plastic.