Press

FishEye Collaborative has launched global field testing of its new low-cost Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) system, FinDrop, with the first fifteen devices now distributed to partner teams in marine environments around the world. The prototype is called the FinDrop-TRL6. TRL6 refers to a level of development and prototype testing on technology readiness level scales.

Developed in partnership with the Sexton Corporation and FORTH, FinDrop is engineered to increase reliability, simplify deployment, and significantly reduce the cost of underwater sound recording. The system features a digital MEMS microphone array shielded by a proprietary acoustic membrane, enabling high-quality recordings at depths of up to 200 meters. Its compact design includes built-in redundancy and supports advanced post-processing to enhance clarity and reduce background noise—offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional hydrophone-based PAM systems.

Initial development of FinDrop was supported by a seed grant from Wildlabs . A purchase agreement with Synchro supported the production of this series of prototypes as well as their distribution to a global network of testers. These early deployments are helping refine the system’s performance in real-world conditions. Recipients include:

● Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

● Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions

● NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries offices in California, North Carolina, and Hawaii

● NOAA Fisheries - Protect Species Division

● The Australian Institute of Marine Science

● Cornell University, Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics

● Reefonomics - Indonesia.

The partners network is planning deployments in locations including Palau, the Great Barrier Reef, Curaçao, Wakatobi National Park, and Mozambique. Their experiences with FinDrop are a critical step toward scaling its use for broader conservation and monitoring applications.

By enabling more frequent and distributed deployments, FinDrop TRL6 supports a vision of large-scale, sustainable acoustic monitoring with minimal environmental impact.