AIS has been an approved provider for the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program’s Industry Funded Scallop (IFS) Program since its inception in 2006.  The IFS program originated as part of an Emergency Action issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in 2006 and was permanently reactivated in 2007 by the Amendment 13 to the Scallop Fishery Management Plan.   The observer program was implemented using a scallop total allowable catch and days-at-sea set aside program that allows vessel owners to offset the cost of carrying an observer.

The data collected by the Industry Funded Scallop Observers is similar in scope to that of the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program Observers and includes information on vessel costs, gear used, location of fishing effort, weather data, and catch data for at least 50% of the hauls.  After successfully completing a 14 day training run by the NMFS, AIS deploys IFS observers on federally permitted vessels targeting scallops on trips ranging in length from 1 day to 14 days.  AIS has deployed IFS observers on trips sailing from ports from Maine to North Carolina under this program and covers vessels using dredge and trawl gear.

Core Capabilities

  • Consultation through all project phases of a project from baseline surveying to decommissioning

  • Survey design and implementation

  • Project management

  • MMOs for Aerial, Vessel and Passive Acoustic Monitoring

  • Data management and analysis

  • Implementation of worker training programs

  • Report writing