Transcript:

Every day, fishermen across the Bahamas head out to the ocean to harvest their catch.

But now some of those fishermen are also harvesting data to help forecast hurricanes.

They’re contributing to the global Fishing Vessel Ocean Observing Network, which provided them with sensors that measure water depth and temperature.

The sensors attach to fishing gear and record data that’s shared with Bahamian officials, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and others.

Simmons: “We see it as … a very cost-effective way of getting good, real-time ocean data.”

Jeffrey Simmons is the former acting director of the Bahamas Department of Meteorology.

He says ocean heat is the main source of energy for hurricanes. So the data could help forecasters better understand when a hurricane is likely to intensify quickly.

For example, this happened in 2019 when Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm and killed dozens of people.

And Simmons says the fishermen are eager to help.

Simmons: “When hurricanes are out there, it creates problems for them. They can’t get to work. So they are excited to be a part of the community to assist us in getting information so that we can create better forecasts for them.”

Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman/ChavoBart Digital Media