The Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) is a non-profit focused on the Chesapeake Bay. We have partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help manage the state’s electronic reporting program as well as dockside and onboard monitoring of harvesters who report electronically. There are four fisheries that have the option to report electronically in Maryland’s portion of the bay: commercial blue crab, finfish, shellfish, and the for-hire fleet.

Kaycee is a coastal resource scientist who leads the sustainable fisheries team at the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP). She works in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and stakeholders in the fishing industry to further develop and maintain the FACTS (Fishing Activity & Catch Tracking System) electronic reporting and monitoring tool for Maryland’s commercial blue crab, finfish, shellfish, and for-hire fleets. In addition, Kaycee manages a dockside and onboard monitoring program to verify the electronic harvest reports.

Andrew was born and raised in southeast Asia and remains keenly interested in fisheries sustainability, livelihoods, collaborative research, and capacity building throughout the region. Now living in Townsville, Australia, Andrew has over 20 years’ experience in marine research and management including work for NGOs, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and experience with a wide range of fisheries and shark and ray projects. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed publications and is an editor for Pacific Conservation Biology. He is currently director of the Fish and Fisheries Lab at James Cook University, and also serves on the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and the scientific advisory board for the Save Our Seas Foundation.

Andrew has extensive experience working with fishers, communities, and collaborators in northern Australia, and with Indigenous ranger groups. He is very interested in bycatch reduction, which first means understanding catch, bycatch, and discard patterns – which is driving his interest in electronic monitoring. Andrew would like to see the successful roll-out of EM in Queensland fisheries, and to have this done in a way that genuinely empowers fishers to improve their social license, demonstrate sustainable practices, and have ownership over their data.

Chugey Sepulveda, is the director of research and education at the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research (PIER) in Oceanside, California. PIER is a non-profit research institute dedicated to the advancement of sustainable fisheries management through applied field research and public education. At PIER, Sepulveda has concentrated on addressing important questions related to the sustainable management of several marine fish species. In particular, he is focused on the use of pelagic fish movements and physiology to design and develop alternative gear options for pelagic species. Sepulveda has a long history working collaboratively with fishermen, researchers and managers to address bycatch issues in current day fisheries. He is an advocate of sustainable fishing operations and enjoys the ocean on many levels.

With more than 15 years’ experience working as an operations manager within the at sea observer programs at Archipelago, Mike has brought his expertise in operational logistics and training to the EM division. Mike plays a critical role in the delivery of all EM programs and provides leadership and direction by setting and achieving excellent professional standards and building capacity for growth. Mike trains our field staff, manages technical and installation policies, and develops procedures to ensure success in our projects.

Gord Snell is the President & CEO of Archipelago. Gord oversees all aspects of Archipelago’s domestic and international operations. In his role as President, he is also responsible for the Monitoring Technologies division where he has spent the last five years at Archipelago. He works closely with NGO’s, industry and Archipelago’s partners on all aspects of the business with the focus to deliver sustainable solutions within all our project work. Prior to joining Archipelago, Gord spent nearly 20 years on the technology, operations, and sales side of the telecom industry here in Canada.