Project MARLIN: The debrief and what’s coming next

As this phase of Project MARLIN draws to a close, we thought we’d reflect on everything we have achieved so far and give you some insight on what’s instore next.

We spoke to our Director of Innovation, Dr Ryan Mowat to get the latest updates on project MARLIN.

Q1. It’s been a while since the project began, what are the main objectives for MARLIN?

Yes, so going back to when we started, the overall object was to have an intelligent sensor in the water that understands the acoustic signatures we ask it to detect. Splitting this into two sections.

• A device that could detect when marine mammals are in the area and determine the species
• A device that can detect and categorise vessels in the area

What is an acoustic signature?

An acoustic signature is a combination of acoustic emissions from a sound source, so for example marine mammals, surface ships and submarines all emit unique acoustic signatures.

Q2. How does MARLIN help protect our oceans through acoustic recording?

MARLIN’s acoustic recording can help marine conversationists protect endangered species. Data collected by MARLIN can provide insights into 1) animal movement e.g. whales, dolphins and fish, and 2) wild fishing activity.

Q3. What makes real-time data so valuable?

Currently the standard scientific process is taking a piece of equipment, leaving it in the water for six months or more, going to collect it, then back to the lab, offload the data, and then analyse it. MARLIN simplifies this process by making the scientific data available to the end user in near real time.

Q4. Who is MARLIN built for, and in what ways does it surpass the limitations of current technologies on the market?

MARLIN can provide useful data to everyone from conservation NGOs to offshore energy to the defence sector in real time. Currently, there are very few systems like MARLIN that can classify underwater noise and notify users in real time.

In terms of illegal fishing activity, there is currently nothing that can pick this up in real time. Project MARLIN will be able to provide a real breakthrough when it comes to protecting endangered fish species in protected areas.

Q5.What have we achieved in this phase of Project MARLIN?

Our project team have put together a working version of the MARLIN, it’s already looking sharp, with a user-friendly interface as well as several features that will help with specific case studies.

We are very happy with where we are at currently and plan to take the first version of MARLIN to market next year.

During this year’s REPMUS, the annual exercise that brings together autonomous naval technologies from around the world, we deployed a version of MARLIN. Mounted on a surface buoy, it provided real time alerts on underwater activity, showing clear potential for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) applications.

We have also delivered eight pre-production MARLIN monitoring systems to an ambitious marine monitoring initiative. It is a strong sign that the technology is already finding its place within the wider landscape of ocean research.

Q6. Who was involved in the development of MARLIN?

Ryan Mowat, Project Lead

Ryan leads on Project MARLIN, bringing his background as an ocean scientist and his role as RS Aqua’s Director of Innovation to the heart of the programme. As project leader, he shapes MARLIN’s scientific direction, draws on his extensive experience and industry network, and ensures every technical decision supports the project’s overall purpose.

His work sets the tone for the entire team, guiding how MARLIN listens, processes and delivers data in some of the most challenging marine environments.

Vamsi Karnam

Vamsi heads up on the hardware development side of the project, specifically communications.

The beginning of the technical development of the project included building a proof-of-concept framework on a microcontroller device, which fetches raw data from the porpoise hydrophone.

The data is then compiled to audio and transferred to the MARLIN server over an encrypted connection.

The first iteration of the MARLIN plugged into the ethernet port of a router and used a custom VPN. The second iteration was a 4G cellular connection-based MARLIN and has since been successfully tested.

Rahul Tandon

Rahul developed the machine-learning component of MARLIN. The software application where the algorithm models are built, this software exists on our server and this application exists so it can be transported on other computers.

Q7. It’s great to see a university research partner on this project. What role did the team at the University of Southampton play in the project?

We are so pleased to of had a team of three highly skilled researchers involved with the project. All are based at the world-famous department of Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton.

Dr Paul White and Dr John Bull have worked in academia for decades, to research and develop new ways of monitoring underwater sound. Outside of their research duties, they regularly teach postgraduate and PHD students at the University of Southampton.

Dr Ellen White, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southampton is an expert in using machine learning techniques to detect and classify marine mammals.

Highly experienced in passive acoustic monitoring, Dr Ellen has developed machine learning pipelines to disseminate large acoustic datasets to generalise methodologies which can be deployed across many domains, aiding species detection, and habitat monitoring.

What’s next for MARLIN?

Since our last update, we have made plenty of headway with project MARLIN, and as mentioned hope to do a full commercial release of the MARLIN system next year.

Using pre-existing UK-based harbour porpoise data, we have been able to compare MARLIN’s capabilities with existing harbour porpoise detector technologies and we are delighted to announce that we will soon be releasing our findings.

In the near future, we will be sharing our plans to bring MARLIN to more customers than ever before. This next step is possible thanks to the hard work of our engineers and technicians, our external collaborators and our fantastic project partners.

MARLIN is set to play an important role in bringing real time identification and measurement to the ocean, helping us to discover more about our waters in a safe and sustainable way.