Justin is Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer at Ai.Fish. Ai.Fish uses the latest artificial intelligence and computer vision research to develop software tools that enhance EM. Justin leads research and development at Ai.Fish in the areas of fish and gear detection, tracking, classification and counting. He aims to bring a decade of experience in software development and machine learning research to problems in marine conservation and sustainability, and to help EM move toward widespread adoption with the assistance of AI.

Ai.Fish was formed to bring the latest in artificial intelligence research to problems in marine sustainability and conservation. The company is based on Oahu, where its founders built the world’s leading CAD/CAM software company for surfboard manufacturing. The team is excited to now bring their passion for the ocean, connection to the local community, and deep technical expertise to fisheries Electronic Monitoring.

Ai.Fish’s current focus is a computer vision platform which utilizes advanced artificial intelligence to speed up the most time-consuming parts of the Electronic Monitoring review process. Our platform automatically detects catch events from video and sensor data, greatly reducing the amount of footage requiring review, and assists reviewers with suggestions from species classification algorithms. We are actively performing R&D in computer vision and machine learning, and are exploring other areas where AI can further assist the EM review process.

We know there is no one-size-fits-all solution for Electronic Monitoring, and we believe state-of-the-art research can only have impact if it is brought to market through a user and stakeholder focus. We offer custom-built technology to fit the unique requirements of each fishery, and work with stakeholders to match the pace of EM’s adoption. Please contact us to learn more about what we can do for you.

Intertidal Agency offers discovery, strategy, and program design and management services for conservation tech and data efforts. Our core clients include government agencies big and small, foundations, entrepreneurs, and social impact organizations who need data to deliver on resilience and sustainability goals (or need help defining what those goals should be). We ask good questions and help you put your answers into practice.

George Lapointe is a Marine Fisheries and Ocean Planning consultant serving clients in fishing industry, government, and non-government organizations.  He has over 30 years of experience in marine fisheries management, including serving as Commissioner of Marine Resources in Maine and Director of Interstate Fisheries at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.  The organizer of the the 2^nd National Workshop on Electronic Monitoring, George currently serves as a Core Team member of the Net Gains Alliance, which promotes modernization of fisheries data management systems and increased access to fisheries data. He is also promoting improved electronic reporting in the for-hire sector. Other work has included stakeholder engagement on fisheries allocation, review of NGO website utility, and ground-truthing ocean use map products.

Kate is a Fishery Analyst for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and staff contact for the full and partial coverage observer programs, including the fixed gear electronic monitoring component.

The Net Gains Alliance (NGA) is a global initiative committed to accelerating the modernization, implementation, and adaptation of robust information systems to support sustainable management of ocean resources.

NGA is working to spur modernization of America’s fisheries information system, an effort viewed as critical by industry and fisheries managers alike for further improving overall management and enhancing environmental, social and economic performance.