Last week was an important milestone in BioProtect’s contribution to the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) through its active participation in the All-Atlantic Intergenerational Hackathon and the AAORIA Forum, held in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, from 13–17 April 2026. Across the week, both events highlighted the strength of transatlantic collaboration and the shared commitment of the AAORIA community to build on existing partnerships, trust and common frameworks to advance intergenerational and transdisciplinary ocean science.
Connecting data to decisions in the Hackathon Champion team
A particular highlight for BioProtect was its contribution to Challenge 4, “Connecting Data to Decisions: A Small-Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture Hackathon Challenge”. This challenge focused on translating ocean and climate data into practical, user-oriented decision-support tools for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture.
The hackathon brought together more than 60 Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) from over 35 countries, working intensively in a 24‑hour format to co-develop prototype solutions across six challenge areas. BioProtect contributed its experience and solutions – including the BioProtect Marine Planner – to support the challenge and the wider discussion on how data can be transformed into actionable knowledge for users.
The “Connecting Data to Decisions” challenge received the Hackathon Champion Award, granted by the All‑Atlantic jury. This recognition represents a significant achievement for the team and underlines the relevance of BioProtect’s approaches for the wider AAORIA community. A particularly appreciated aspect of the winning concept was its use of storytelling to demonstrate impact through the example of “Bruno”, a local fisherman in Salvador, showing how a decision-support tool could inform practical choices in a real-life context. This clearly illustrated that the value of data lies not in its availability alone, but in its ability to become relevant, understandable and usable for end users.
Beyond the award itself, the hackathon powerfully demonstrated the value of intergenerational and intercultural collaboration. Across all teams, the clear division of tasks, mutual trust, teamwork and a shared spirit of “making it work” were striking features of the process. These dynamics enabled the rapid development of creative and relevant solutions and reinforced the view that effective innovation depends as much on collaboration and listening as on technical knowledge. Throughout the discussions, several interventions also highlighted a broader need for area‑based decision-support tools capable of addressing multiple, interconnected challenges – from climate risk to Marine Protected Area planning – which is closely aligned with the BioProtect approach.
Showcasing the BioProtect Marine Planner at the AAORIA Forum
During the AAORIA 2026 Forum, BioProtect hosted a dedicated outreach stand in the main networking area, showcasing the project’s objectives and tools via a poster, with a particular focus on the web‑based BioProtect Marine Planner. A project poster was displayed alongside a screen-based demonstration, with a laptop providing live access to the Marine Planner as well as to the Stakeholder Engage interface. This setup enabled on‑the‑spot demonstrations of core functionalities for interested participants, who could see how biodiversity, human‑activity and planning data are integrated to support evidence‑based marine spatial planning and conservation decisions.
Throughout the coffee and lunch breaks, forum attendees stopped at the stand to learn more about the tool, ask questions and discuss potential applications in their own national and regional contexts. Branded BioProtect pins were also distributed, helping to raise the project’s visibility and acting as an informal conversation starter with scientists, policymakers and practitioners from across the Atlantic.
The Forum also offered an opportunity to connect in person with partners from BioProtect’s sister project PHAROS, strengthening links between complementary efforts on marine biodiversity protection and area‑based management. In addition, the BioProtect Marine Planner was highlighted on stage by Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir (Deputy Chief Executive of MATIS) in her presentation, “Biodiversity conservation: From science to implementation of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)”. Her talk showed how the Marine Planner helps bridge cutting‑edge science and real‑world decision‑making, demonstrating its role as a practical decision-support tool within broader MSP processes.
The week in Salvador de Bahia created a strong basis for future collaboration. In particular, it opened promising opportunities for continued exchange between the AAORIA intergenerational programme and ICES, with follow‑up activities envisaged around the ICES Annual Science Conference in Brest. BioProtect’s participation therefore not only increased the project’s visibility within the AAORIA community. It also positioned its tools and methods within a longer‑term transatlantic dialogue on how ocean knowledge can be translated into practical decisions for sustainable marine management.
Thank you to all who made this an incredible week of collaboration, connection and inspiration! Looking ahead, BioProtect will continue to build on the momentum generated in Salvador de Bahia, working with partners across the All‑Atlantic to advance practical, area‑based decision‑support tools for marine conservation. The connections made during the hackathon and Forum have created a strong foundation for future joint activities and knowledge exchange. We now look forward to meeting again at AAORIA 2027 in the UK, where the community will reconvene to take the next steps in turning ocean knowledge into effective, inclusive action for resilient seas.
