Science and Management Tools
(past affiliations)
I have led, co-led, supported, and/or advised the development of multiple tools for fisheries science and management - including field arrays, digital imaging/sensors, web platforms, smartphone applications, and decision support tools.
© Ralph Pace
CatchReporter (Lead)
Tool status: inactive
CatchReporter includes a web platform and smartphone app that was designed for recreational anglers to report tagged fish in the CCFRP. Anglers could submit records of tag recaptures that would get populated into a central database.
FishSense (co-Lead)
Tool status: active
FishSense is an underwater hand-held video camera system that divers can use to measure lengths of fishes. The tool is designed to provide fishery-independent length data by either professional science or citizen science divers. See recent updates here and here.
FishKit (Science Advisor)
Tool status: active
FishKit is a data-limited fisheries management tool developed by The Nature Conservancy - California Oceans Program for community-based fisheries management and establishing harvest control rules in small-scale fisheries.
La Jolla Acoustic Array (Lead)
Tool status: inactive
The La Jolla acoustic array is a network of Vemco VR2W acoustic receivers that the Semmens Laboratory used to track movements of Giant Seabass, Kelp Bass, Barred Sand Bass, and multiple nearshore elasmobranch species, inside and outside local marine protected areas.
Climate Resilient Fisheries Planning Tool (Advisor)
Tool status: active
This was developed by a SNAPP working group convening at NCEAS in Santa Barbara, California. It is a decision support tool designed for stakeholders and communities to identify actions for building greater fisheries resilience to climate change.
Ocean Ruler (Science Advisor)
Tool status: inactive
Ocean Ruler is a web-based platform developed by The Nature Conservancy - California Oceans Program that uses machine learning and digital edge detection to estimate lengths of fishes and invertebrates from digital images.
eCatch (Science support)
Tool status: inactive
eCatch is a web platform developed by The Nature Conservancy, designed to allow commercial west coast groundfish vessels to record and share fish catch locations, particularly protected species, in an effort to reduce incidental bycatch.
CALFISH Database (co-Lead)
Tool status: active
This database was built out of the need for standardized, properly formatted, and easily accessible non-confidential commercial and recreational fisheries data in California. The full dataset can be accessed in Dr. Christopher Free's GitHub repository under 'wcfish.'
