CASE Awarded NOAA Contract to Support NWFSC AUV Image Analysis and AI-Enhanced Ecosystem Monitoring
CASE Awarded NOAA Contract to Support NWFSC AUV Image Analysis and AI-Enhanced Ecosystem Monitoring
Asheville, NC | October 1, 2025 — CASE Consultants International (CASE) is proud to announce its award of a new contract with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) to advance the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and AI-driven image analysis in support of sustainable fisheries, ecosystem protection, and the recovery of protected species across the U.S. West Coast.
Under this contract, CASE provides full lifecycle support for NWFSC’s AUV imagery program—analyzing high-resolution images to identify and measure fish and benthic invertebrates, conducting stereo-image measurements for abundance and biomass estimates, and maintaining rigorous QA/QC and uncertainty reporting standards. The team also supports shoreside AUV calibration and maintenance, ensuring NOAA’s autonomous systems remain fully mission-ready.
“This award highlights NOAA’s forward-looking commitment to using advanced technology and automation in ecosystem science,” said Liz Tarquin, President and CEO of CASE. “We’re proud to help NOAA translate cutting-edge AUV imagery and AI analytics into actionable insights that strengthen fisheries management and ecosystem resilience.”
CASE’s approach combines NOAA-approved annotation software, robust QA/QC protocols, and Agile project management to ensure accurate, transparent, and timely delivery. The team provides weekly and monthly progress reporting, Smartsheet-based tracking, and structured data management aligned with NOAA’s Performance Requirements Summary (PRS).
This work builds on CASE’s collaboration with NWFSC leadership—including work with Program Lead Liz Clark on the 2022 Next Generation Data Acquisition Plan (NG-DAP)—which developed recommendations for integrating autonomous systems and AI into fisheries monitoring. Together, these initiatives help NOAA advance Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) through the use of modern data collection, modeling, and analysis tools.
