DESC0024971
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
Integrated fishing and marine mammal monitoring and protections system (IFMAPS)
Awardee
Funding Goals
DE-FOA-0003202
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding Agency
Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Portland,
Maine
04101-4668
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Related Opportunity
Analysis Notes
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been extended from 04/21/25 to 06/20/25.
Scientific Solutions was awarded
Project Grant DESC0024971
worth $200,000
from the Office of Science in July 2024 with work to be completed primarily in Portland Maine United States.
The grant
has a duration of 1 year and
was awarded through assistance program 81.049 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity FY 2024 Phase I Release 2.
SBIR Details
Research Type
SBIR Phase I
Title
Integrated Fishing and Marine Mammal Monitoring and Protections System (IFMAPS)
Abstract
The Integrated Fishing and Marine Mammal Monitoring and Protection System (IFMAPS) development project represents a system-of-systems engineering approach to addressing the most pressing issues facing our coastal oceans. This includes assessing the potential environmental impacts of wind energy projects and monitoring for marine mammals around windfarms. At the heart of IFMAPS is utilizing the fishing fleet to collect ocean data. Assessing and mitigating the potential environmental impacts of wind energy projects requires data, and by employing the fishing fleet, a greatly underutilized asset for ocean science, IFMAPS can collect massive amounts of high-quality ocean data. The opportunity to develop IFMAPS is amplified now because of the need to reduce whale entanglement risk through elimination of endlines and buoys from fixed fishing gear (lobster trawls and crab pots). Eliminating endlines requires sensorizing the fishing gear so it can be marked electronically at the seafloor to avoid gear conflicts and provide a method of retrieval, as is done with as the ôon-demandö gear currently under development. Endline-free gear may facilitate fishing around windfarms, or alternatively sensorized gear can be set for monitoring even if not actively fished. The addition of sensors to fishing gear provides the opportunity to collect large volumes of high-quality data that can drive ocean and acoustic models for thoroughly assessing the impacts of wind energy projects, and more broadly climate change. Fleet sensorization also is a foundational part of developing distributed, integrated, and multi-modality solutions to detect, localize, track, and classify (DTLC) marine life, as well as objects that could threaten coastal security. Fully developed, IFMAPS could provide a comprehensive solution to undersea environmental data collection, wildlife monitoring, and surveillance ľ meeting needs ranging from wind energy projects to protecting whales to securing our coasts ľ based on sensorizing multiple platforms, distributed processing, and command and control, with all components integrated and communicating as part of one network. The fishing fleet provides a pivotal platform for distributing and tending sensors that can be combined with other monitoring modalities, while IFMAPS processors would be highly distributed -- integral to the sensor, on the platform, or in the cloud -- leading to massive parallel processing power. Phase 1 will focus on initial development of IFMAPS including continued development of our partnership with Maine's commercial lobstering industry, building the IFMAPS team and workplan, and testing prototypes for sensorized gear and subsea gear marking technology. Project partner Blue Planet Strategies has a federal research permit allowing for work with endline-free fishing gear in Casco Bay, which is ideal as recently a high-resolution ocean model has been implemented for Casco Bay. As part of planning, we will seek authorization to utilize Maineĺs proposed offshore wind research site, in addition to Casco Bay, as the testing and development location in Phases 2 and 3. In Phase 1, we will also leverage a NOAA Saltanstall-Kennedy grant for $300,000 to Blue Planet Strategies, among other possible awards, to begin component development and testing. The Saltanstall-Kennedy project provides for work with Maine fishermen to test two developing subsea marking technologies and endline free gear outfitted with environmental data collection sensors and hydrophones for detecting whales. We will expand this work to also conduct the first tests of an alternate subsea marking approach to detect endline-free gear that utilizes multi-beam bottom mapping sonar systems in use by many offshore lobstermen. In Phase 2 we would build upon the development and testing conducted in Phase 1 to fully demonstrate feasibility and continue to build the team and workplan for a significant Phase 3 development effort. Phase 2 would also likely include starting implementation a high-resolution ocean model for Maineĺs floating wind research site. In Phase 3 we would build, install, and demonstrate a commercial scale IFMAPS within the offshore wind research site. If successful IFMAPS can be exported to other wind development sites and for other applications in U.S. waters and around the globe.
Topic Code
C58-20a
Solicitation Number
DE-FOA-0003202
Status
(Complete)
Last Modified 5/12/25
Period of Performance
7/22/24
Start Date
6/20/25
End Date
Funding Split
$200.0K
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$200.0K
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Transaction History
Modifications to DESC0024971
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
DESC0024971
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
892430 SC CHICAGO SERVICE CENTER
Funding Office
892401 SCIENCE
Awardee UEI
NZ4AZRQ1M979
Awardee CAGE
0VH19
Performance District
ME-01
Senators
Susan Collins
Angus King
Angus King
Modified: 5/12/25