Across Dominica’s coastline, a strengthened ocean observing platform is transforming how the nation monitors its marine environment.

As part of the Sustainable Blue Economies programme, scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in the UK have been working with the Dominica Fisheries Division to develop and support coastal water monitoring systems.

At the core of the project has been servicing and reconfiguring the Essential Ocean Variables Platform (EOVP), providing an enhanced platform that has been reconfigured to prioritise reliability and longevity.

SBE Dominica

With simplified operations, the EOVP is now better equipped to serve the day-to-day functions of the Fisheries Division, and will enable more consistent, high quality data collection while also reducing operational risks.

In January 2026, a team from NOC travelled to Dominica to provide in-person support and technical training which has enabled a wider group of Fisheries Division staff to become confident in independently using the equipment – from set-up and deployment to management, recovery and data handling.

The project was co-developed and led by Dominica Fisheries Division, placing local operational needs at the heart and ensuring the data will directly inform national decision-making for coral conservation, marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries.

SBE Dominica

Dr Sara Fowell, a research scientist at NOC specialising in marine biogeochemistry, added: “This collaborative project demonstrates how a nationally led, co-developed ocean observing programme can deliver reliable, long-term data by prioritising local ownership, sustainable operations, and capacity over complexity. It also ensures ocean science directly supports the sustainable management of Dominica’s marine resources, fisheries and coral reef conservation.

The project was funded by the Sustainable Blue Economies Technical Assistance Platform and was led by the Dominica Fisheries Division.