onWater: Empowering Anglers and Protecting Our Rivers Through Data-Driven Conservation

onWater is a data-driven company on a mission to provide fishing access for all, offering detailed information on public water access points across the U.S. Through its innovative app, onWater helps anglers, paddlers, and outdoor enthusiasts safely explore and enjoy their local waterways, while also supporting the health of these ecosystems. Founded by Scott Carver after a close-call fishing trip with his son, the company’s core values revolve around safety and conservation. onWater’s reach spans the entire nation from its team members to its users, providing insights into the interconnectedness of our fisheries. Through its partnership with Science on the Fly, onWater is working to help empower anglers to become community scientists, soon offering them the chance to collect critical data to support conservation efforts. Committed to giving back to the rivers that inspire them, onWater’s team of passionate anglers, paddlers, and conservationists strives to protect the wild places they cherish for future generations. Let’s learn more about Science on the Fly’s conservation partner, onWater!

Tell us a little about onWater

onWater is a data company first, composed of a talented team of GIS technicians and app developers who’re passionate about building map experiences that help people to safely and responsibly access water recreation opportunities. Our mission-based tagline of ‘Fishing Access For All’ is upheld by the fact that we’re the only app that provides all public water access information completely free of charge. We include detailed and diverse data for over 100 fish species throughout the lower 48, and we focus much of our efforts towards working with conservation organizations to help support the health of our waterways. onWater is headquartered in both Bozeman Montana and Louisville Colorado, but we have team members located from coast to coast. We consider it to be a fantastic advantage in having members of our team spread across the country, offering greater insights into our nationwide fisheries and how they’re all connected.

Is there a river story behind the creation of onWater?

Well articulated in our ‘Behind The Brand’ story via our friends at Flylords, “Years ago, Scott Carver(Founder and CEO of onWater) and his son were enjoying a run-of-the-mill float fishing trip on a new river that they had been keen to explore. However, once Scott's boat pulled into the boat ramp where they would be unloading from a day spent fishing, there was no sign of his son - or his boat. Hours passed and as the darkness began to consume the western timber surrounding them, what had been a dream float trip, quickly turned into a nightmare. It quickly became evident to Scott that his son had not only missed the take-out, but was heading straight for a dammed easement which would certainly be fatal should his unsuspecting son spill over it in the dark. Luckily, Scott and his son were eventually reunited with no harm coming to either, but many sleepless nights of reliving that feeling of panic caused Scott to think that there had to be a way to prevent something like this from ever happening again. This experience was the birth of the onWater app.”

What inspired onWater to support Science on the Fly?

onWater was inspired to support Science on the Fly after recognizing the incredible synergy between our organizations and the potential to empower anglers while protecting our precious watersheds. We saw an opportunity to not only support anglers in the field with their own data collection to enhance their fishing experience, but also to aid the critical work of scientists, researchers, and volunteers dedicated to conservation. Science on the Fly's mission to engage folks in community science aligns perfectly with onWater's goal of connecting anglers with the information they need to make informed decisions on the water. This partnership allows us to provide our users with the tools and resources they need to contribute to the health of their favorite rivers and streams. Both organizations share a deep commitment to conservation and recognize the importance of data-driven decision making in those efforts. By empowering anglers to become community scientists and contribute valuable data through Science on the Fly's protocols, we can gain a deeper understanding of the health of our watersheds. Ultimately, this collaboration allows us to reach a wider audience and inspire more people to get involved in protecting our rivers and streams for future generations.

Alyssa Adcock using the onWater app on her river trip. Photo by Dylan Schmitz

We’re really excited about the Conservation Tool within onWater that we’ve worked together to develop over the past year. Can you give our community some beta on this tool that will be released in the near future?

Building this tool with Science on the Fly has been a standout highlight for us over this past year! The Conservation Observations Tool is an in-app feature that will be used to not only streamline data collection for SOTF volunteers, but soon every single user of the app will be empowered to become a community scientist and submit essential watershed and habitat information directly to those agencies that help to manage the health of our fisheries. Still in Beta, we can’t wait to put this tool into the hands of everyone who uses the app in 2025. Stay tuned for the big release that’s right around the corner!

Why is it important for companies to give back to the rivers, help share their stories, and protect them? We believe that any and all outdoor recreation companies should be invested in helping to protect the wild places that we love. With that, onWater is also a team of avid anglers, paddlers, and conservationists-our personal values are embedded in our company ethos. We all consider our fisheries to be our playgrounds and our homes; taking care of them is not only a part of our business model but a part of our lifestyles and ethics. From Will Moore, onWater team member and SOTF volunteer: “Rivers helped raise me. They’re a source of endless inspiration for work and leisure and it’s my pleasure to tell their stories as an SOTF Community Scientist. My time as a sampler has adjusted my perspective on the climate change puzzle which all anglers have a duty to help solve.”