The ocean is vital to life on Earth, yet much of its biodiversity goes unrecorded. Deutsche Bank teamed up with SailGP Germany, NatureMetrics and Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) to change that by collecting eDNA from the water beneath SailGP races around the world.

SailGP crew and local scientists collected water samples at race events, and NatureMetrics analysed them to reveal the species living below. In Bermuda and New York, the results uncovered hidden biodiversity, from humpback whales and threatened fish to invasive species. The aim is to build ocean literacy, support conservation and show how a high-profile sporting event can become a platform for nature.

The ocean supports global ecosystems, human wellbeing and the economy, and more than half of global GDP depends on nature. Yet our understanding of marine biodiversity and ocean health is still limited.

Traditional marine surveys are often invasive, expensive and narrow in scope. That makes comprehensive data hard to get, especially in diverse or hard-to-reach places.

Deutsche Bank and its partners needed an approach that was:

• Scalable across multiple international race locations
• Non-invasive
• Detailed enough to give meaningful local insight
• Able to detect both common and rare species
• Practical to run alongside fast-paced sailing events

• Sampling kits and training: NatureMetrics provided eDNA sampling kits and trained SailGP crew and local scientists to use them. This kept sample collection consistent and high quality, even in challenging marine conditions.
• Advanced lab analysis: we processed the samples through our eDNA metabarcoding pipeline.
• Focus on vertebrates: the analysis targeted fish, marine mammals and traces of land animals whose DNA had reached the sea. These are species that conventional survey methods often miss.

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• 30 vertebrate species in Bermuda: detected from just six samples.
• Threatened hogfish: detected in Bermuda waters, a hopeful sign for conservation.
• Humpback whales closer to shore: humpback whale DNA was found nearer the Bermuda shoreline than previously recorded.
• Invasive lionfish: detected in Bermuda, highlighting a potential threat to local ecosystems.
• Land meets sea: New York samples contained traces of land mammals, including beavers, showing the links between land and marine ecosystems.

Download and read the full findings report HERE

Scientifically validated data for conservation
The project gave Deutsche Bank and its partners a broad, reliable snapshot of marine life, including rare and hard-to-detect species. That evidence can guide conservation and policy decisions.

A global platform for ocean literacy
Building biodiversity measurement into a high-profile international sporting event brought ocean science to new audiences and showed nature intelligence working in the real world.

Support for a sustainable blue economy
For Deutsche Bank, the project supports its commitment to a sustainable blue economy. It also shows how the financial sector can play an active role in protecting nature.

A model that’s growing
The project has expanded to new locations, including Alaska and the Maldives. This is building a global marine biodiversity dataset and a model for partnerships between finance, sport and science.