The deep sea is Earth's last great wilderness.

Based on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Blackbeard Biologic and our network of rogue scientists develop and implement ocean science, conservation, and education programming around the world. We provide consulting services on a range of topics centered on conservation technology, human impacts in the deep sea, and national and international ocean policy. We excel in finding novel solutions to complex problems.

Andrew Thaler, Phd
CEO
Dr. Thaler is a deep-sea ecologist and conservation technologist whose research revolves around how humans use technology to connect with and alter the ocean. He is focused on understanding the impacts of deep-sea mining on biodiversity and connectivity at hydrothermal vents and across the deep benthos, building anticipatory frameworks to guide emerging ocean technology, and developing low-cost open-source tools to study our changing world. He is the founder of Southern Fried Science, the co-founder of Oceanography for Everyone, and the editor-in-chief of the Deep-sea Mining Observer.

Ocean Science and Policy

We offer competitive rates and retainers for consultation on ocean science and policy issues ranging from regional fisheries management to the development of large, remote marine protected areas. We have worked on issues ranging from deep-sea mining to marine robotics and the integration of new technologies in the marine ecosystem to establishing and expanding new marine national monuments. We coordinate and overseer the Deep-sea Mining Observer, the online trade journal of the deep-sea mining industry. 

Conservation Technology

We are developing low-cost, open-source oceanographic tools to help mobilize a new generation of ocean scientists by making the tools of oceanography as accessible as possible. We can assists with the development of new ocean science tools, provide training in open-source development, and help integrate existing low-cost alternative into your research or ocean monitoring needs. We also sponsor Oceanography for Everyone and provide core development support for their flagship project, the OpenCTD. 

Education and Outreach

From conception to deployment, we provide full service support for ocean outreach campaigns, either through conventional or social media. We recruit from a pool of exceptional ocean science writers to help tailor an ocean outreach campaign to you needs. We also offer training in strategic communication. Our CEO teaches an annual class on Social Media for Environmental Communications at Duke University. We sponsor Southern Fried Science, one of the the leading ocean science and conservation blogs.