Headquartered in Victoria since 1978, Archipelago is a long-standing BC employer. Through additional offices at each of British Columbia’s busiest fishing ports, and its Asia Pacific subsidiary in Australia, Archipelago maintains a staff of 120+ industry professionals including biologists, at-sea observers, dockside monitors, technicians, and more. Archipelago provides observer training (with full government certification) for at-sea and dockside monitoring staff, and maintains the highest standards for quality service and professional conduct.
Victoria, BC (April 26, 2024)—Archipelago, a leading provider of innovative marine monitoring and data collection services, has been named the 2023 Co-Op Employer of the Year for Arts and Science by Camosun College. This recognition highlights Archipelago’s commitment to supporting students’ growth and development in marine science.
“We are honoured to receive this recognition from Camosun College,” says Gord Snell, President and CEO at Archipelago. “Working with co-op students has been an incredibly rewarding experience for us. We believe in providing students with real-world experience that aligns with their academic studies, and we are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to their education and future careers.”
The Co-Op Employer of the Year award is presented annually to employers who demonstrate outstanding support for co-op students and offer meaningful work experiences that enhance their learning and professional development. Archipelago was selected for its dedication to providing students with valuable hands-on experience, mentorship, and opportunities for growth within the marine science industry.
Archipelago looks forward to continuing its partnership with Camosun College. This collaboration allows us to provide students with meaningful co-op opportunities and enriches our organization with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas.
For more information about Archipelago, visit archipelago.ca
Archipelago wins Environmental Managers Association of British Columbia Award
Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management, is thrilled to announce that we were recently awarded a prestigious award from the Environmental Managers Association of British Columbia (EMA of BC) for our work on the project, “Esquimalt Harbour Species and Habitat Monitoring Project”. The award recognizes our commitment to excellence in environmental management and sustainability. Archipelago is proud to be recognized for its efforts in these areas.
The Esquimalt Harbour Species and Habitat Monitoring Program was initiated proactively by the Department of National Defence (DND) in 2018 to lead better stewardship and ecosystem-based management of Esquimalt Harbour.
DND and Defence Construction Canada retained Dillon Consulting Limited to lead the development and execution of this novel program as there has not been a near-comprehensive inventory of physical and biological features of the harbour to date.
Dillon retained Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. and Sea View Marine Sciences as technical specialists in the harbour for completing marine surveys.
Archipelago conducted harbour wide towed video, intertidal and dive surveys as well as forage fish, lingcod egg mass, herring spawn, abalone, rockfish, and native oyster surveys.
At Archipelago, we are dedicated to protecting and preserving the delicate balance of our oceans and the diverse ecosystems they support. We are proud to be recognized by the EMA of BC for our efforts to minimize our impact on the environment and ensure that our practices are sustainable.
This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and we are grateful to EMA of BC for recognizing our efforts. We would also like to extend our thanks to all the team members who have contributed to our success and to our supporters and partners who have helped us to achieve our goals.
We are honoured to receive this award and look forward to continuing our work to better understand and protect the marine environment for generations to come.
FishVue AI will dramatically increase use of AI in fisheries by creating a single platform for AI tools and introduce a revenue model for AI developers
Victoria, BC (June 29,2022) – Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management products and services, has announced the introduction of their FishVue AI platform to bring together the data analysis needs of fisheries around the world and artificial intelligence (AI) tools developed by software developers.
Many fisheries-based AI tools have been developed through private business, public sector and in academic circles in recent years, but with no clear path to connect fisheries clients with developers, the implementation of these tools has been slow. As well, the business case for developers to create AI tools for fisheries has been difficult as there has been no simple way to monetize their development efforts. “Archipelago is creating the connection between fisheries clients and AI developers to bring these tools to market, pay the developers for the use of their tools, and allow our clients to improve project efficiencies and reduce costs within their programs,” says Archipelago President and CEO, Gord Snell.
The FishVue AI platform is one step of a multi-step analysis model that sees fisheries data pass through numerous AI tools and then ingest those outputs into Archipelago’s FishVue Interpret data analysis application (formerly EM Interpret). Analysis is then completed and validated by an Archipelago Data Analyst and the results are reported to the client. AI developers will generate revenue by working with Archipelago on addressing client needs in their fisheries, delivering the required AI tools and having data pass through them within the analysis model. As the AI tools become more accurate and sophisticated, it is expected that the level of human interaction with the data will be reduced, and significant cost efficiencies will begin to emerge for clients.
“We have been a trusted global leader in EM, data stewardship and data analysis in fisheries for more than 20 years and we have witnessed the explosion in interest in recent years around the efficiencies that AI can bring to this industry. Every day more developers and AI-focused organizations are reaching out to see how they can get involved and how we can utilize their tools for fisheries review,” says Snell. “In order to begin to create the efficiencies our clients are expecting, we need a way to connect the developers directly to the fisheries clients and that is where our FishVue AI platform comes in. It creates a seamless integration of AI tools across one platform and gives our clients access to the world’s best AI tools all in one place. And by allowing AI developers to generate revenue through the platform, it will enable them to begin to provide ongoing support, updates, and improvements to their AI products as they are utilized in operational programs. We see this approach as a win-win for all parties.”
With the FishVue AI platform, it will allow Archipelago clients to run their data through numerous AI tools which in many cases will be developed by various developers. By having one platform to execute multiple AI algorithms on one data set, it avoids the need for clients to move large quantities of data from company to company which will slow down the review process and introduce additional data transfer costs. Clients will also benefit from an at-scale approach to AI that will allow pricing to be managed across the entire platform in a transparent manner, so clients can be sure they are paying a fair rate for the tools they are utilizing.
In addition to the introduction of the FishVue AI platform, Archipelago continues to make advancements to their AI capabilities internally. In the coming weeks Archipelago will be introducing a new release of its data analysis tool, FishVue Interpret (formerly EM Interpret) that will contain its first fully integrated AI feature into the standard EM analysis workflow. This tool, called “SmartEVENT” was developed in partnership with Ai.Fish for longline fisheries and scans the entire data set to locate gear setting and hauling events and creates annotations for the reviewers to immediately begin their data analysis.
“FishVue Interpret is the tool of choice for the EM data analysis of more than 500 vessels worldwide and the introduction of SmartEVENT will immediately introduce at-scale review efficiencies for many of those vessels that are unmatched by any of our competitors, simply due to the volume of data FishVue Interpret is utilized to review each and every day,” stated Mark Sudul, Archipelago’s Product Manager. “Every fishing trip contains set and haul events, and we chose to focus our initial efforts on AI improvements in this area to make an immediate impact on client efficiency for their data analysis. With SmartEVENT we are seeing reduction in review times ranging from 10% all the way to 40% depending on the catch rate within the fishery. This bodes well for our ability to continue to drive more efficiencies within FishVue Interpret and provide even more value for our clients.”
Archipelago has been working on internal AI development efforts for the last two years and closely with fisheries AI development leaders, Ai.Fish, since early in 2021. “We have been collaborating on tools to be utilized within FishVue Interpret such as SmartEVENT and are currently working together on a project to bring AI tools to the Alaska Fixed Gear EM program in 2022,” says Snell. “We have had great success working alongside Ai.Fish to date and expect that we will continue to work closely in the coming years to develop new and exciting AI tools that can be utilized by our EM clients.”
“For more than 3 years, Ai.Fish has been deploying cutting edge technology to the EM space,” said Jimmy Freese, CEO and Co-Founder of Ai.Fish. “Through our established partnership with Archipelago we are excited to see the acceleration in AI development contribute to the ease and adoption of Electronic Monitoring.”
Recently, Archipelago began collaborating with a British Columbia AI start-up called OnDeck Fisheries AI on potential advancements within numerous fisheries along the west coast of Canada where Archipelago operates numerous monitoring programs. “We have been impressed with OnDeck’s outlook for AI in fisheries and the energy that they are bringing to the market,” says Sudul. “They have fresh ideas and a strong desire to see AI tools become commonplace within our fisheries and we are excited to see what we can create together.”
“Archipelago’s global reach will help bring OnDeck’s game-changing AI tools to a massive network of fisheries clients around the world – unlocking tremendous value for fishers and fisheries management alike,” said Alexander Dungate, Co-Founder of OnDeck.
Who We Are
Archipelago pioneered EM in the late 1990’s and have continued to be a global leader in the advancement of the technology for more than 20 years. They currently support 500+ vessels carrying their EM products. Through their data review software, FishVue Interpret (formerly EM Interpret), clients review more EM fisheries data each year than any other software tool in the world.
Visit www.archipelago.ca for more information, follow them online @itsarchipelago or contact Archipelago at info@archipelago.ca.
Archipelago invites any developers who are interested in learning more about FishVue AI to visit www.fishvue.ai
Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management products and services, has announced its new FishVue EM product brand and the integration of its existing product lineup under this new brand. It also introduces its first new product under the FishVue brand, FishVue Mobile.
“With our current products and the introduction of new products and services in 2022 and 2023, we aim for the FishVue EM brand to become synonymous with the industry’s first, truly integrated, end-to-end electronic monitoring platform,” said Archipelago President and CEO, Gord Snell. “With so many advancements in the EM industry in recent years and new entrants bringing products to the table, the market has become cluttered with tools and platforms that are not compatible with each other and require complex integration. We are establishing a single platform of products that will provide end-to-end solutions for clients in fisheries of any size and at price points lower than our competitors.”
Along with introducing the new brand, Archipelago is announcing its first new product in the FishVue lineup, FishVue Mobile. FishVue Mobile is a tablet and phone-based EM platform that allows users to utilize Archipelago software on their own devices to capture single-camera imagery and positional data. When coupled with AI tools in development, FishVue Mobile will allow for automated detection of fishing activity when it occurs. The data is then transmitted to a secure cloud to be stored and reviewed if required.
“Since its inception, the use of EM on vessels has typically been limited to fleets with larger vessels and those that could afford cutting-edge technology to monitor their catch,” said Mr. Snell. “With FishVue Mobile, we want to show that EM is affordable for all fleets and vessel types. We anticipate that most users of FishVue Mobile will pay less than $1,000 USD per year for a subscription to capture single-camera imagery and positional data during fishing events. This makes EM far more accessible to the industry than ever before.”
With the introduction of the FishVue EM brand, Archipelago will modify some existing product names to bring them under this new brand.
EM Interpret (EMI), Archipelago’s comprehensive analysis tool for reviewing EM data, will now become FishVue Interpret. The release of our next version of FishVue Interpret will take place in Q2. It will incorporate the new naming convention, user-interface updates, and some significant advancements within the software. In particular, the introduction of AI tools improves the efficiency of the data review workflow. There will be more announcements in 2022 relating to the integration of AI into FishVue Interpret and other areas of Archipelago’s EM data flow.
LIME is a low-cost data collection platform that allows users to collect and access fishery-related activities such as GPS and sensor data in near real-time. It will now become FishVue LIME and we will continue to market this product to small vessels without the space or requirements for a full-scale EM system.
FLOAT (Fishing Log on A Tablet) is Archipelago’s Android-based electronic fishing log application and has been in use since 2017 in numerous fisheries globally. It allows vessel operators to enter and submit their fishing log information electronically. It gives access to audits and species identification materials and retains log data from previous trips for future reference. This application will now become FishVue FLOAT, and we will continue to add new features and functionality in the coming months.
“The launch of the FishVue brand and FishVue Mobile is the first step in an ongoing campaign over the coming months to showcase to our clients the innovation we have been working on at Archipelago for the last two years,” explained Mr. Snell. “We are very proud to be introducing additional software, hardware, and AI-based products in 2022 that will allow more cost-effective access to EM for more fisheries.”
Archipelago has been partnered with Marine Instruments in Spain since 2017 to enable the ongoing advancement and implementation of electronic monitoring and technology around the world. As part of Archipelago’s roadmap for electronic monitoring, they intend to continue to work closely with Marine Instruments on the advancement of EM technology with cross-platform capabilities between the Marine Instrument product line and all FishVue products.
Archipelago pioneered EM in the late 1990s and has continued to be a global leader in advancing EM technology for more than 20 years. They currently support 500+ vessels carrying their EM products around the world. Through their data review software, EM Interpret (now FishVue Interpret), clients review more EM fisheries data each year than any other software tool globally.
Visit www.archipelago.ca for more information, follow them online @itsarchipelago or contact Archipelago at info@archipelago.ca.
Archipelago and Marine Instruments Team Up With SINAY and ISIFISH To Deliver Electronic Monitoring In the Bay of Biscay
Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management products and services together with our partners at Marine Instruments (MI) are proud to support a consortium that includes SINAY, a marine technology and AI start-up in Caen, France, and ISIFISH, a highly-renowned marine electronics firm in Concarneau, France. This team was recently awarded a 20-vessel project over 16 months to provide electronic monitoring (EM) in commercial gillnet fisheries in the Bay of Biscay. This project will focus on documenting accidental bycatch of marine mammals and enable fishermen and fisheries managers to better work together to manage bycatch in this important coastal fishery.
“Archipelago is excited to be monitoring marine mammal bycatch in the Bay of Biscay and to help address concerns around high levels of bycatch in gillnet fisheries. This international team brings together experts in various fields to provide the necessary skills required to deliver success in this project. With recent directives from the European Commission, it is impressive to see French fishermen and government leading the way to roll out this monitoring and address any concerns that may exist.” says Gord Snell, President and CEO for Archipelago.
“During a first pilot project earlier this year, named OBSCAMe, we validated the feasibility of equipping the French gillnetters, by testing the equipment on 5 boats from 10 to 18 meters, and collected quality data. We are now happy that electronic monitoring has been retained by the government as a continuous part of the data collection process on marine mammal bycatch in the Bay of Biscay. SINAY is proud to lead this project with our partner ISIFISH, and will benefit from the experience Archipelago and Marine Instruments bring to the table.” says Alex Chailloux, OBSCAMe project coordinator at SINAY.
Archipelago pioneered EM in the late 1990’s and have continued to be a global leader in the advancement of the technology for more than 20 years. They currently support 500+ vessels carrying their EM hardware and software products. Through their data review software, EM Interpret (EMI), clients review more EM fisheries data each year than any other software tool in the world. In 2017, Archipelago partnered with Marine Instruments in Spain to develop and deliver the next-generation of EM hardware solutions and together they continue to work towards the advancement of the EM Ecosystem through existing and future clients.
Marine Instruments are world leaders in the development and manufacturing of electronic equipment adapted to the marine environment and are focused on promoting smart oceans and sustainable fishing. They are a company focused on innovation with an excellent position in the fishing sector thanks to being part of Arbulu Group, a group of companies specialized in naval electronics and satellite communications.
Founded in 2008, SINAY is a tech start-up that helps maritime-based businesses around the world to manage data related to operations and environmental impacts. SINAY benefits from 10 years of experience in collecting and analyzing maritime data to use the most relevant outputs. SINAY developed the Sinay Hub, a single platform dedicated to maritime industries where data are gathered and transformed thanks to advanced AI technologies to create key indicators. It gives real-time situational awareness and consequently helps the maritime industries to make the right decisions, to drive more efficiency and easily comply with regulations.
ISIFISH specializes in consulting and selling technological products for fisheries: GPS buoys, information collection tools (sounder, T°/P sensor, camera), species conservation (acoustic deterrent devices for cetaceans, sharks) and improvement of seafood quality. The team has 15 years experience, with engineers in fisheries, seafood industry and sellers specialized in business with the fishing sector and marine instrumentation. ISIFISH provides advice and equipment for operations of companies from small-scale and large-scale fisheries, coastal management programs and maritime researching bodies who count on the ISIFISH knowledge and their network of technicians, re-sellers and providers throughout France and worldwide.
Visit https://www.archipelago.ca for more information or contact Archipelago at info@archipelago.ca
ISIFISH
SINAY
Marine Instruments
Partnership Achieves Early Success With Development Of Automated Fishing Event Detection AI Algorithm.
Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management products and services and Ai.Fish, a software startup developing artificial intelligence (AI) tools for marine conservation and ocean science, are pleased to provide an update on the ongoing development of AI-based tools through their partnership formed in July 2021.
At the onset of the partnership, Archipelago and AI.fish looked to address the challenge of accurately identifying fishing activity on longline fishing vessels. “This has been a challenge since the inception of EM as the longer the fishing trip and the more cameras carried by the vessel, the more hours of footage to review just to identify locations that a fishing event begins and ends,” Archipelago President and CEO, Gord Snell. “This results in more review time and more cost to the vessel owner to meet their reporting requirements and we wanted to find ways to reduce the effort and in-turn, the cost to our clients.”
Utilizing data from longline vessels on multi-day trips, an algorithm was developed, tested, and refined that allowed the system to automatically detect gear set and gear haul events with an accuracy level greater than 90%. As the algorithm continues to learn and improve, this number will move even higher. This advancement alone will reduce the review time by an estimated 8-10% for the type of longline trip utilized in the development.
“We are thrilled to see this kind of success in such a short window and look forward to continued success as we build on our partnership in the coming months. We are actively looking for industry partners who are interested in addressing their fisheries monitoring requirements and want to explore the use of AI in their data analysis,” stated Mr. Snell.
“We formed this partnership three months ago to move AI development efforts forward more rapidly within fisheries monitoring than we have seen in recent years,” said Jimmy Freese, CEO of Ai.Fish. “We wanted to showcase the knowledge of our two organizations and how quickly we could start to make an impact on the efficiency of data review within operational EM programs that Archipelago is involved in throughout North America and Australia. Our early results are very encouraging, and our hope is these efficiencies can be adopted across other electronic monitoring pilots and programs throughout the world.”
The next step in this development will be to implement the algorithm into Archipelago’s industry-leading EM data analysis tool, EM Interpret (EMI) and allow clients to begin to benefit from the cost savings this AI algorithm can deliver.
Archipelago pioneered EM in the late 1990’s and have continued to be a global leader in the advancement of the technology for more than 20 years. They currently support 500+ vessels carrying their EM products. Through their data review software, EM Interpret (EMI), clients review more EM fisheries data each year than any other software tool in the world. In 2017, Archipelago partnered with Marine Instruments in Spain to develop and deliver the next-generation of EM hardware solutions and together they continue to work towards the advancement of the EM Ecosystem through existing and future clients.
Ai.Fish is a software startup aiming to harness the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning research to address problems in marine sustainability and conservation. In 2020, with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Ai.Fish developed machine learning and computer vision algorithms for analyzing EM video, demonstrating the efficacy of AI technology in streamlining the EM review process through initial user trials in Hawaii. This partnership will enable them to deploy and test their AI processing at scale with feedback from users in a broad range of fisheries.
In an effort to advance the utilization of AI within fisheries, Archipelago and AI.fish will continue to support other AI advancement efforts throughout the industry such as The Nature Conservancy’s Fishnet initiative (fishnet.ai).
Visit www.archipelago.ca or ai.fish for more information or contact Archipelago at info@archipelago.ca or AI.fish at contact@ai.fish
Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management products and services and Ai.Fish, a software startup developing artificial intelligence tools for marine conservation and ocean science, have announced a formal partnership to focus on the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) within electronic monitoring (EM) in commercial fisheries.
“In recent years, EM has grown slowly with a key challenge being the large volumes of data being captured during a fishing trip and the high cost that comes with analysing that data,” said Archipelago President and CEO, Gord Snell. “By partnering with Ai.Fish, we believe we can harness their experience within AI and our knowledge of large, operational EM programs to utilize AI and greatly reduce the costs associated with data analysis. This will reduce the overall cost of EM programs and lead to broader adoption of the technology worldwide.”
“Archipelago brings a wealth of knowledge to the table surrounding EM programs and with our team’s technical knowledge on deploying AI solutions, we are confident that together we will be able to move the AI needle very quickly in commercial fisheries,” stated Jimmy Freese, CEO of Ai.Fish. “We have witnessed an explosion of interest in fisheries AI in the last 3 years and a number of excellent pilot projects that have been funded through government agencies and NGOs. Through this partnership, we want to expand on these pilots and showcase the benefits and efficiencies that AI can bring to operational programs with a large volume of participating vessels.”
Archipelago pioneered EM in the late 1990’s and have continued to be a global leader in the advancement of the technology for more than 20 years. They currently support 500+ vessels carrying their EM products. Through their data review software, EM Interpret (EMI), clients review more EM fisheries data each year than any other software tool in the world. In 2017, Archipelago partnered with Marine Instruments in Spain to develop and deliver the next-generation of EM hardware solutions and together they continue to work towards the advancement of the EM Ecosystem through existing and future clients.
Ai.Fish is a software startup aiming to harness the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning research to address problems in marine sustainability and conservation. In 2020, with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Ai.Fish developed machine learning and computer vision algorithms for analyzing EM video, demonstrating the efficacy of AI technology in streamlining the EM review process through initial user trials in Hawaii. This partnership will enable them to deploy and test their AI processing at scale with feedback from users in a broad range of fisheries.
In an effort to advance the utilization of AI within fisheries, Archipelago will continue to support other AI advancement efforts throughout the industry such as The Nature Conservancy’s Fishnet initiative (fishnet.ai).
Visit www.archipelago.ca or ai.fish for more information or contact Archipelago at info@archipelago.ca or AI.fish at contact@ai.fish
Archipelago Launches Low-Cost Fisheries Monitoring Device. LIME To Reduce Cost-Barrier For Fisheries Monitoring and Offer BRNKL Functionality
Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management products and services, has announced the launch of their first low-cost electronic monitoring device – LIME (Lite Integrated Monitoring Equipment). This new hardware represents an entry-level monitoring solution for fisheries looking to introduce electronic monitoring within their fleet.
Through Archipelago’s partnership with Barnacle Systems of Victoria, BC, LIME will be the first device of its kind to enable vessel owners to monitor both fishing activity as well as provide 24-hour vessel monitoring and security for their vessel. Monitoring and security is provided through the award-winning BRNKL software and mobile app that is integrated into LIME at no additional cost to LIME customers.
‘With the ongoing growth in EM, we are excited to be expanding our EM hardware lineup with the introduction of LIME to fisheries around the world,” said Archipelago President and CEO, Gord Snell. “Providing the BRNKL functionality onboard LIME will provide vessel operators 24 hour-a-day peace of mind that their vessel is safe and secure while also providing world-class fisheries monitoring capabilities. LIME is the first EM product of its kind in the world to offer this capability and we are thrilled to offer this service to our clients.”
LIME is offered in two models – indoor, for placement in a vessel’s wheelhouse or the outdoor model which can be mounted anywhere on the vessel and is IP66 rated. The unit is enabled with GPS, global cellular connectivity, digital and analog sensor inputs and is RFID capable. With a small footprint, (3” Wide x 4”Long), LIME can be mounted almost anywhere on the vessel. The included security and monitoring features include battery bank monitoring, bilge/high water alerts, and shore power monitoring at no extra-cost. Wireless security sensors can be added to vessels for a small additional cost.
“Archipelago is a global leader in electronic monitoring, and we are proud to partner with them to deliver our award-winning BRNKL product to commercial fishing vessels around the world,” said Brandon Wright, CEO of Barnacle Systems. “We have been providing security and monitoring to recreational, industrial and military vessels in over 30 countries for the last 4 years and this entry into the fisheries market is an exciting one for our team.”
The standard model of LIME will be offered at $1,499 CAD ($1,299 USD) and the outdoor model for $1,699 CAD ($1,499 USD) with a monthly data subscription starting at $59 CAD ($49 USD). Flexible pricing models will be available to reduce the upfront cost of the hardware depending on project requirements and project contract duration. LIME will begin shipping to clients March 15, 2021.
Visit www.archipelago.ca for more information about LIME or contact us at (250) 383-4535.
For more information on the BRNKL application included with LIME, visit www.brnkl.io.
Archipelago, a global provider of marine resource management products and services, is pleased to announce the completion of a management buyout with the senior leadership group, establishing a new generation of owners.
Building on the 40+ years of Archipelago’s success under the current management team, this transaction provides the foundation for the next phase of Archipelago’s mission of providing industry leading products and services to our partners and clients.
“We are excited to step into this next chapter at Archipelago with the support of the exiting founders and partners, our great leadership team, and all our staff around the globe,” said Gord Snell, President and CEO at Archipelago. “Continuing the legacy created by the prior owners is a priority for Archipelago. We want to ensure our clients continue to receive the same high-level of service and support they have become accustomed to in working with Archipelago.”
The agreement was completed in May with President and CEO, Gord Snell, CFO, Wes Wong and Vice President, Scott Buchanan initiating the process of acquiring the company from founders, Brian Emmett, Howard McElderry and Shawn Stebbins. This new group brings close to 40 years of experience at Archipelago to the
ownership table.
“In planning the transition of the business into the future we wanted the organization to remain employee owned and independent to preserve the spirit of what we developed over the last 40 years,” said past- President Shawn Stebbins. “We are very pleased to see the ownership of Archipelago stay within the organization and we have complete confidence the new ownership team will do a great job in building on our past success.”
The new ownership team will continue their operational leadership roles within the company while the exiting owners begin to scale back their involvement in daily operations. In order to assist in the ongoing transition, the founders will continue to be engaged in employee or advisory roles within the company for the foreseeable future as well as participating on the Board of Directors.
Archipelago is pleased to announce that it has appointed Gord Snell to the role of President. In his new role, he will be responsible for the overall operations of Archipelago including its subsidiaries in Australia (Archipelago Asia Pacific) and the United States (Archipelago USA).
After 15 years in the role, Shawn Stebbins, will step down as President and will continue to work with Archipelago on business development and project fulfillment while supporting a seamless transition into the President position for Gord. “Our Board of Directors is very pleased to see Gord assume the President role here at Archipelago. He is a strong proponent of business innovation and he brings a diverse background in technology and operational leadership to the role,” said Brian Emmett, Chair of the Archipelago Board of Directors.
“Gord has shown great success in leading our Monitoring Technologies division over the last 3 years and we are confident he will lead the continued success of Archipelago as a whole in this new role,” said Emmett.
Mr. Snell joined Archipelago in 2014 and has been involved in strategic planning, business development efforts and operational decisions across the organization since his arrival. His previous career experience includes nearly 20 years working for Shaw Communications in senior operational and sales roles in Alberta and British Columbia. “I look forward to continuing the 40-year legacy that has been created here at Archipelago and will strive to deliver on our ongoing commitments to our clients and partners that are the backbone of our company,” said Mr. Snell. “I’m excited to lead a team that is so focused on delivering quality products and services and always looking for new ways to provide better value to our clients.”
Mr. Snell’s experience within Archipelago and throughout his career will be invaluable as Archipelago works to support further modernization of global fisheries and environmental monitoring. Archipelago is focused on delivering a combination of best-in-class products and reliable on-site services to clients across the globe. Mr.
Snell’s background and the experience of the Senior Executive team at Archipelago will help support the seamless delivery of this vision.
A New Force Emerges to Manage and Deliver Best Practices for Global Fisheries Monitoring. MARINE INSTRUMENTS AND ARCHIPELAGO FORM A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP.
Archipelago and Marine Instruments (MI) are now working together to enable ongoing advancement and implementation of Electronic Monitoring (EM) technology around the world. Marine Instruments brings a strong worldwide presence in the marine industry as well as years of technical innovation in marine electronics. Archipelago pioneered EM technology, and are recognized experts in the design and implementation of EM programs in all fishery types. This business arrangement allows for further advancement of EM technology throughout the world and increased adoption of EM as a viable solution for fisheries monitoring. The formal agreement was signed by both organizations in Victoria, BC, Canada on June 2, 2017.
“The fisheries industry needs more effective and efficient monitoring,” explained Mr. Gabriel Gómez, Marine Instruments General Manager, “Our new arrangement with Archipelago ensures we are meeting that need – now and into the future.”
“The alliance allows each company to focus on our complementary strengths in a way that ensures high quality, cost-effective EM programs,” says Howard McElderry, Archipelago’s VP of Monitoring Technologies, “this is a big win for fisheries sustainability around the world.”
A key element of this agreement involves the transfer of EM intellectual property (details on media site) from Archipelago to Marine Instruments. Marine Instruments’ expertise in research, design and high volume manufacturing of high quality marine electronics gives the industry a focused leader in EM technology to improve capability, increase production and reduce user costs. Archipelago brings their years of EM experience to work closely with Marine Instruments to help develop new products and create best-in-class quality products. Archipelago will continue to own and manage the development of its EM Interpret (EMI) data review software outside of this agreement.
Together, Archipelago and Marine Instruments build on their reputations for excellence in the application of electronic monitoring technology in commercial fisheries worldwide and look forward to leading the EM industry into a new era.