CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL HAWAII AUGMENTED REALITY INVASIVE SPECIES STRATEGY
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The bluestripe snapper, or Ta‘ape, can be quickly identified by its striking electric blue stripes contrasted with lemon-yellow skin, making it a stunning tropical fish. Don’t let its good looks fool you though, the Taʻape are considered an invasive species in Hawaiʻi. Taʻape naturally school in the hundreds and even thousands, and compete with native species while causing economic loss for local fishers. Taʻape were first introduced to the eastern shores of the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi more than six decades ago from the South Pacific. Originally intended to provide additional fishing opportunities and food sources for Hawaiʻi, Taʻape quickly became established and now spread across the 1,500-mile Hawaiian archipelago. Conservation International Hawaiʻi and local partners are launching a campaign to show how smart choices in seafood harvesting and consumption can benefit everyone, including Nature. Consumers are seeing that they can eat a tasty meal while supporting the local economy, improving island food security, and removing an invasive species. It’s a win, win, win. Conservation International Hawaiʻi partnered with us to develop two augmented reality experiences designed to raise awareness about this urgent situation:

1. When visiting the Ta‘ape informational website, you will have the ability to see an animated 3D model of the fish, which can be launched in augmented reality by double tapping on the cube icon. In a matter of seconds, the fish comes to life right in your environment, and you have the ability to see it from every angle and read important notes about it.

2. The second experience can be launched on a mobile phone on Instagram following this link. The fun begins when you realize you must open your mouth to eat as many fish as you can!