Ocean Associates logo in medium blue with wavy lines in the first letter O and a bird flying over the lines

New Logo – New Website – Same Commitment to Excellence

CAPABILITIES

WHAT WE DO

OAI offers staffing and contracting solutions to government agencies, universities, research institutes, NGOs, and private businesses. Our team of experts brings together extensive professional backgrounds in science, engineering, and management who have outstanding academic achievements and global networks. OAI’s highly skilled scientists, technicians, and advisors come together to undertake global projects on oceans, fisheries, IT Services, and management consulting.

Read on to learn more about the services we offer.

RESEARCH AND FIELD OPERATIONS
  • Scientific project planning and implementation
  • Feasibility studies
  • Climate change impacts
  • Small boat operation, coordination, and maintenance
  • Fish tagging (active and passive) at a production level
  • Aquatic husbandry/culturist, research aquarium operation and maintenance
  • Laboratory safety and management protocol development and implementation
  • Hatchery vs. wild salmon rearing data collection and analysis
  • Facilitation of dam removal decisions among water users, communities, and fishery advocates
  • Marine mammal and sea turtle stranding response, biopsy, analysis, and stock assessment
  • Field, seagoing, aerial, and SCUBA survey planning and execution in remote locations
  • Biological, chemical, and environmental sample collection, transport, curation, and analysis
  • Hormone and DNA extraction and analysis
  • Veterinary services, including capture, handling, measuring, tagging, and necropsies
  • Social and economic impact analyses
  • Data quality assurance and validation
  • Scientific literature reviews
  • Technical writing, including reports, manuscripts, and presentations
  • GIS, aerial photo, and remote sensing – data collection, equipment deployment and maintenance

 

Project Examples

OAI conducts research on the timing and survival of juvenile and adult salmonids in the Columbia River using towed and stationary Passive Integrated Transponder Tag technology. This work contributes to federal hydrosystem compliance and transportation.

Pit trawl boats on the Columbia River

 

OAI employee Gary Longo is leading a study that revealed the presence of a new sardine species along the U.S. West Coast. Using fish collected during a Coast Pelagic Species (CPS) survey in part by OAI employees at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Gary and his team identified the presence of Japanese sardine beginning in 2022 as part of their ongoing CPS genetics research. 

Sardines in a lab tray

POLICY AND REGULATORY SUPPORT

  • Policy objective development, analysis, review, and evaluation development and support for ESA, MMPA, MSFCMA, CERCLA, CWA, and NEPA
  • International policy evaluation and analysis
  • Policy and regulation enforcement
  • Responding to and tracking FOIA requests
  • Conduct natural resource damage assessments
  • ESA Section 7 consultations and Section 10 permitting
  • Permitting support

Project Examples

A green sea turtle swims toward the surface of the water.

OAI employees are providing Section 7 and 10 Endangered Species Act (ESA) expertise to the NMFS Office of Protected Resources (OPR) to handle increased regional workloads associated with federal infrastructure funding.  This work supports four NMFS regional offices and headquarters OPR directly.

 

Tuna fish being hauled off a ship with a rope and tackle

OAI personnel currently provide expertise to the NMFS West Coast Region Highly Migratory Species Branch to facilitate policy analysis, rule-making packages, product Quality Assurance and Control, and reporting. Our team also interprets science and economic research for the Branch and prepares briefing papers, backgrounds documents, and memos for regional Fishery Management Council meetings.

 

PROGRAM AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 

  • Program and project strategic planning, including evaluations and budgeting
  • Development of conservation, mitigation, restoration, and recovery action plans
  • Domestic and international meeting and conference coordination support services
  • Automate and maintain Vessel Monitoring System processes
  • Education and outreach activities for stakeholders and K-12 audiences
  • Coordination and facilitation with external stakeholders and tribal, state, and federal entities
  • Training and workshop development and facilitation
  • All levels of administrative and acquisition office support
  • Communications
  • Stakeholder outreach and engagement
  • Website development and maintenance
  • General administrative and office support

Project Examples

Project Example 

OAI provides green sturgeon recovery coordination support to the California Central Valley Office of the NMFS West Coast Region.  Our staff review and analyze biological assessments to determine projected impacts to green sturgeon, provide conservation recommendations to federal managers and agencies, suggest recovery strategies, and engage in education and outreach for green sturgeon.

 

A green sturgeon is being held out of the water.

Project Example 

OAI provided education and outreach expertise to the Communications and External Affairs Branch of the NMFS West Coast Region. OAI personnel plan and execute an education and outreach program, form and enhance science education partnerships, and train and guide federal scientists in conducting education and outreach related to their research.

 

Map of the west coast of the US showing the areas covered by NOAA FIsheries West Coast Region.

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

  • Video surveillance technology implementation
  • Acoustic monitoring technology design, testing, and implementation (active and passive)
  • Fish passage design, development, and engineering
  • Remote sensing technology development and survey support
  • Conduct numerical and statistical analyses
  • Perform data validation, calibration, and analyses
  • Model building and validation along with review, evaluation, and maintenance
  • Develop GIS data products
  • Provide IT Support, including SQL programming
  • Create web-based data product
  • Database development, analysis, and evaluation

 

Project Examples

OAI employees provide expertise to the Southwest Acoustic Ecology Lab at the NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center, which includes passive acoustic sensor construction, repair, deployment, and retrieval as well as data management and analysis. Our team also contributes to the development of novel analytical techniques and provides training opportunities to the acoustic ecology community at regional workshops. 

OAI personnel develop, test, and deploy sensors and systems for the NOS Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services.  This work contributes to the operation of coastal observing systems that monitor aquatic and atmospheric parameters to support NOAA’s mission.

Are you interested in working with us? Visit our contact page to get in touch with one of our team members. We are more than happy to help!