Now Australian fishers and divers can report sightings of unusual fish and marine species with just a few clicks on their phone.

The  app was launch on October 20 as part of the ‘Under the Sea Film Festival’ at Avoca Beach, NSW: a perfect location to celebrate the app and raise awareness of our marine environment!

Redmap's community observations help scientists track which fish and marine species are shifting their usual home range in response to warming seas. Already divers, fishers and the public have shared hundreds of sightings on Redmap including fish, turtles, sharks, rays, lobsters and even sea slugs.

Some seas along the coast of Australia are warming at three to four times the global average. Turning up the heat tends to stress marine ecosystems and species, and can affect fish growth, reproduction and behaviour. Some fish respond by searching for their preferred water temperatures. Many are heading southwards in Australian oceans. Or as Redmap likes to coin it: ‘moving south when things get too hot at home.’ 

Redmap uses crowd sourcing and community data to track such changes in species distributions along Australia’s vast coastline.

“It is hoped the smartphone application will encourage people to log sightings,” said Redmap New South Wales leader Natalie Moltschaniwskyj, Associate Professor from the University of Newcastle. “The application will simplify the logging process for our network of citizen scientists.”

The app is supported by an Australian Government Inspiring Australia grant, which aims to boost science literacy and teach the value of science in caring for our environment; the New South Wales Environmental Trust and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania. 

A network of over 60 marine scientists across the country review the sightings submitted to Redmap to verify the species identity and ensure high-quality data.

Become a citizen scientist: download the free app at the iTunes App Store or Google Play!