Ocean Associates, Inc.

?? Exciting Discovery on the U.S. West Coast! ?? Ocean Associates, Inc. is thrilled to announce a fascinating new study led by our very own Gary Longo! Gary and his co-authors recently published research revealing the presence of Japanese sardines along the U.S. West Coast—a migration likely enabled by recent marine heatwaves in the North Pacific. These warmer waters allow the species to travel from their typical range in the Northwest Pacific to the Northeast Pacific. The first sightings were recorded in NOAA Fisheries samples from 2022. ?? Interested in diving deeper into this discovery? Read the paper at: https://lnkd.in/evfnqsm3 ?? You can also explore in depth interviews with Gary, and other media coverage of this groundbreaking research, through the links below. Read more: ? Seattle Times - https://lnkd.in/eQCVBP9C ? NorCal Public Media - https://lnkd.in/eZT76bMf ? Oregon Public Broadcasting - https://lnkd.in/eaKQzQs5 ? NHK World - https://lnkd.in/ecg8kWka Photo 1: NOAA Fisheries scientist Gary Longo prepares sardine samples for extraction of DNA in the laboratory at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California. (Courtesy Matthew Craig/NOAA Fisheries) Photo 2: Sardines collected during 2023 NOAA Fisheries California Current Ecosystem Survey and later confirmed to include both Pacific sardines and Japanese sardines. The two species look alike and can be distinguished only through genetic analysis. (Courtesy Kelsey James/NOAA Fisheries) #noaafisheries #NOAA #NMFS #discovery #japanesesardines #pacific #Migration #sardines #fish #fisheries #research

Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) is excited to announce our second task order award ?? this week! OAI has been awarded a five-year ProTech Oceans task order to support the NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Social Sciences Branch (SSB) ????. This new task order builds on the support OAI has been providing to SSB over the past four years including economic and sociocultural research on the magnitude and distribution of the benefits and costs of living marine resource management; primary data collection through fieldwork, surveys, oral histories and focus groups; development of analytical tools; and development of web-based or cell-phone applications. OAI is proud to support this important work!????? #NOAA #NOAAFisheries #NEFSC #ProTech #Oceans #NMFS

Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) pleased to announce the award ?? of a five year ProTech Oceans task order. With this task order OAI will providing support with video and podcast production to the NOAA Fisheries HQ Communications office ????. This support will aid in communicating ???? with target audiences, including Congress; the commercial fishing industry; the aquaculture industry; recreational fishermen; traditional media and trade outlets; agency leadership; other federal agencies or partners; scientific and academic communities; and the general public. We’re proud to play a part in this important initiative ??? #noaafisheries #protech #protechoceans #fisheries #oceans #oai #communications

McCloud River Collaboration: Reintroducing winter-run Chinook Salmon OAI Fisheries Biologist, Hannah Mone, based out of Sacramento, CA and on contract with NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region, recently visited the McCloud River in Northern California this past July. She participated in a collaboration between state, federal, tribal, and research partners, whose efforts are underway to reintroduce the federally endangered winter-run Chinook Salmon to the McCloud River. Partners came together to place eggs in incubators, which then hatch as alevins and later make their way downriver as juveniles. Winter-run Chinook Salmon, which thrive in cold, high-elevation waters, are blocked from large portions of their historic upstream habitats by dams. Reintroducing winter-run Chinook to their historic habitat is a crucial step toward advancing species resilience and rebuilding the stock. Photo credit: Hannah Mone #NOAA #noaafisheries #wcr #NMFS #mccloudriver #chinooksalmon #salmon

NOAA Awards NOS ONMS Support to OAI Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) has been awarded a ProTech Oceans four-year task order to provide facilities and incident management support to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). Our support focuses on maintaining the facilities information network system and emergency response with an incident management dashboard that was developed by OAI’s employee, Mr. Stephen Rentner. OAI also supports the NOS Incident Management Team. ONMS serves as the trustee and manager for a network of underwater sanctuaries encompassing more than 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters. These locations are geographically dispersed along the East and West Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Main Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. The presence ranges from a larger number of centralized regional and site staff to smaller numbers of personnel staffing satellite offices and includes office space, visitor centers, storage space, and boat docks. OAI is proud to have been supporting the ONMS for the last five years! #NOAAProTech #Oceans #ONMS (Photo credit: NOAA)

?? Exciting News! ?? We are thrilled to announce that two of OAI’s employees have been selected to receive NOAA’s Team Member of the Year award for 2023! ?? The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Team Member of the Year Awards recognize outstanding contributions and achievements by contractor employees who support NOAA as acknowledgment of the important role that contractors play in supporting the agency's operations and achieving its goals. These awards are part of NOAA’s broader effort to honor excellence acknowledging individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, innovation, and impact in their roles. Join us in congratulating Joe Vinarcsik and Mary Werthwine for this well-deserved recognition! ???? We're proud to have them on our team! ?? ?? Joe Vinarcsik (NWFSC)For his integral part in all aspects of the Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) interrogation methods study, including planning, conducting field operations, data analysis, and annual reporting. ?? Mary Werthwine (PIRO)For her dedication, expertise, local knowledge, and steadfast calm that have resulted in 100% dependability in managing the challenging role as the weekend and holiday Kauai Marine Wildlife Hotline manager. ?? CONGRATULATIONS to you both! #NOAA #nationaloceanicandatmosphericadministration #TeamMemberOfTheYear #EmployeeRecognition #EmployeeExcellence #CelebratingSuccess #Congratulations

Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) has been awarded a ProTech Oceans task order to provide Tribal Hatchery Support to the NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region (WCR). Our support includes scientific writing and analyses to complete National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act compliance. As tribal hatchery facilities producing salmon and steelhead address deferred maintenance and undergo new construction, OAI will serve as a technical liaison regarding tribal trust resources and threatened and endangered fish and their habitat. OAI is proud to have been providing conservation and management support to the WCR for the last 15 years. (Photo credit: NOAA) #NOAAProTech #Fisheries #WCR

Ocean Associates, Inc.'s Selene Fregosi attended the Detection, Classification, Localization, and Density Estimation of Marine Mammal workshop in Rotterdam, Netherlands in June 2024. She presented a portion of her current work with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), titled, "Considerations when applying classification models across recording platforms: A case study with Hawaiian false killer whales." In these pictures she is seen giving her presentation and also with a group of colleagues attending the workshop.

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