Key Points:

• Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is providing $1.5 million in direct funding to OnDeck and the project collaborators, with a $3.5 million total project value through matching funds and other instruments.

• The AI for Scalable Fisheries Monitoring Project modernizes fisheries monitoring with Artificial Intelligence to make electronic monitoring (EM) more affordable for fishers and more effective for fisheries management.

• This is the largest investment in AI for EM in history with the purpose to commercialize AI in EM in Canada and scale up internationally.

OnDeck Fisheries AI has been awarded $1.5 million in funding to scale up and modernize electronic monitoring through the AI for Scalable Fisheries Monitoring Project.

This project and funding support the development of AI infrastructure for EM to seamlessly integrate into fisheries management workflow. This project will enable monitoring programs to scale their operations without incurring high costs for video review, data processing, and storage. By addressing bottlenecks in data collection and processing, AI-enabled EM can be scaled up to provide key decision-making capabilities for fishers and fisheries management.

The $1.5 million in direct funding from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster will boost the impact and deployment of OnDeck’s EM technology and increase the capacity for collaboration with project partners. The AI for Scalable Fisheries Management Project has a $3.5 million project value to bolster AI capabilities and support partnerships with commercial fisheries, Indigenous fisheries, regulators, NGOs, and EM providers.

The AI for Scalable Fisheries Monitoring Project is led by OnDeck Fisheries AI, with project partners and collaborators: Teem Fish Monitoring Inc., Ha’oom Fisheries Society, Snap Information Technologies. Ltd., The Canadian Groundfish Research and Conservation Society, Ocean Wise, Goodfish Seafood Co., and J.O. Thomas & Associates LTD.

An estimated $80 billion is lost every year due to illegal and mismanaged fisheries, according to The World Bank & FAO. Continually growing fishing needs and climate change continue to put further pressure on fish stocks. Fisheries monitoring is key to ensuring compliance and informing fisheries management. However, current monitoring strategies rely heavily on manual video review, and thus cannot be scaled up to meet this surging demand. The industry projects a 10-12x increase in vessels needing video review for electronic monitoring (EM) in the next decade. In close collaboration with project partners, OnDeck is bridging this critical gap, ensuring scalable and affordable access to EM technology.

Quotes: 

“Through the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the Government of Canada is pleased to support Canada’s Ocean Cluster as it drives AI solutions for Canadian ocean companies. This scalable fisheries project, one of nine projects announced today by OSC, will help combat global overfishing and contribute to sustainable development goals.” – The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“AI in ocean has the potential to help transform the way we do ocean business. Today Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced the AI for Scalable Fisheries Monitoring Project advancing electronic monitoring capabilities that make it more cost effective and efficient to manage the fishery. This project will help users to integrate AI into their workflow and enable a more efficient way of data review and storage.” – Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster 

“Leading the AI for Scalable Fisheries Monitoring Project, OnDeck is paving the way for the future of fisheries monitoring with lower costs for fishers and more timely and accurate information for managers. Support from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster and the collaboration with our project partners is a great step forward to scaling up EM to meet the needs within Canada and globally for sustainable fisheries management.” – Alexander Dungate, CEO, OnDeck Fisheries AI

About OnDeck Fisheries AI

OnDeck Fisheries AI is revolutionizing fisheries management and conservation through artificial intelligence for electronic monitoring solutions. The innovative team and technology of OnDeck have received widespread recognition, including winning awards such as Canada's Ocean Startup Challenge, the Ocean Impact Organization's Sustainable Fisheries Tech Award, among others. Based in Vancouver, Canada, OnDeck Fisheries AI is the leading force in developing efficient, scalable, and accessible fisheries monitoring solutions to address the global challenge of sustainable fisheries management.