Marine Assessment, Decision, and Planning Tool for Protected Species (MADPT PS)

The overall objective of this SBIR proposal is the development of a software-based tool or database known as the Marine Assessment, Decision, and Planning Tool (MADPT) for Protected Species. Knowledge about federally protected species such as fishes, marine mammals, sea turtles, and invertebrates such as corals or abalone is vital for scheduling at-sea activities so that potential impacts to these species can be avoided or minimized. Ready access to pertinent information about a marine species, including its distribution, density, behavior, life history and bioacoustic parameters, environmental stressors, and key habitats is critical for environmental planners, environmental compliance specialists, scientific researchers, and others to make informed, science-based decisions about locating at-sea or marine activities and the potential impacts of those activities on protected species and habitats. This database tool will be designed to provide ready access to the needed scientific information and data on marine species, especially those protected by United States federal regulatory mandates. The first step, or Phase I, of this effort will entail demonstrating the feasibility of developing and generating such a comprehensive database by selecting one taxon of protected species, fishes, upon which to focus the development and later data-population efforts.