Archipelago

Protecting Our Shores: Britannia Mine Remediation Venn Environmental LTD contracted Archipelago on behalf of the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (MWLRS) to provide environmental services regarding shoreline monitoring for the Britannia Mine Remediation Project. Britannia Mine operated primarily as a copper and zinc mine from approximately 1904 until 1974, and it is located near the community of Britannia Beach, BC, approximately 45 km north of Vancouver, BC. During its operational life, the mine generated over 40 million tons of tailings that were largely deposited onto the marine (subtidal) slope of Howe Sound within 3 km of Britannia Beach and along the Britannia Beach shoreline (intertidal area). Mining operations also led to the generation of acid rock drainage (ARD), which was historically discharged to the marine waters of Howe Sound indirectly via Britannia Creek. Soil contamination and ARD have also resulted in elevated concentrations of metals in groundwater, which, in the fan area of Britannia Creek, discharge to Howe Sound’s intertidal zone. The objectives of the monitoring program are to monitor changes in the aquatic environment resulting from upland remediation efforts and to assist with the prioritization of those remedial efforts. Activities historically included monitoring of creek water, groundwater, and intertidal water quality, as well as intertidal ecology. Recent environmental monitoring programs have been focused on the continuation of the intertidal porewater monitoring/sampling and community structure monitoring. The objective of the current environmental monitoring program is to provide information regarding direction of change in intertidal porewater chemistry and intertidal ecology. Archipelago will be conducting an intertidal community assessment survey during mid to late summer in 2024 and 2025 to assess the current and future biophysical features. The purpose of the intertidal community assessment is to provide an annual summary report that identifies ecological changes over time and to provide recommendations on how to revise the shoreline monitoring plan, if necessary. 

We are growing our team! We are seeking a motivated individual to join our Product Engineering team as a Product Manager, Software, to help define our product vision, requirements, and strategy. The successful candidate will work closely with our Manager, Software Development, our internal Product Owners, and our Executive team to ensure our products meet our customer needs and business objectives. Are you passionate about ocean sustainability? Does delivering cutting-edge, AI and data analysis tools sound rewarding to you? If so, we want to hear from you; visit our website and apply today. https://lnkd.in/gKnMBUwy

WE ARE HIRING!! We are seeking a motivated individual to join our Product Engineering team as a Product Specialist, focusing on developing innovative monitoring systems for global fisheries. The decisions made in the development of Electronic Monitoring systems for fisheries play a crucial role in determining how successful governments and companies are in ensuring sustainable fishing practices, protecting endangered species, and combatting illegal fishing. To apply, please visit our careers page; https://lnkd.in/g8DW7sZQ

At Archipelago, we're committed to providing top-tier solutions for the fisheries industry with our product, FishVue Vantage. Every FishVue Vantage device is meticulously assembled in-house by our skilled team, ensuring that each unit meets our high standards of quality and performance. We understand the importance of reliability in fisheries management, which is why we conduct rigorous testing on every device before it leaves our facility. This thorough process guarantees that you receive a product that performs flawlessly in the field, helping you achieve your fisheries goals efficiently and effectively. Our commitment to excellence extends beyond product quality. We strive to provide outstanding customer service, working closely with you to understand your unique needs and challenges. Whether you are looking to enhance your current operations or implement new technologies, we are here to support you every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more about how FishVue Vantage can revolutionize your fisheries operations. Let’s work together to achieve the best results for your business.

Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day! Today, we celebrate the vibrant cultures, traditions, and incredible contributions of Indigenous peoples across Canada. Although Indigenous groups can share many similarities, they each have unique heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. This day allows for the diversity and richness of each Indigenous Nation and Indigenous Peoples to celebrate. ❤️🖤💛🤍 Attending some local celebratory events is a wonderful way to show ongoing support. Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road Friday, June 21st, 2024 - 10AM-3PM The events will include traditional plant walks with Cowichan Elder Kenneth Elliott, crafts, food vendors, a market with Indigenous artisans, creators and makers and more. The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1040 Moss Street Friday, June 21st, 2024 - 10AM-5PM AGGV will be hosting an open house to honour the wonderful and incredibly talented Indigenous artists in the area. Quadra Village Community Centre, 901 Kings Road Friday, June 21st, 2024 - 4PM-8PM The Quadra Village Community Centre will host a National Indigenous Peoples Day event with goodies! There will be free bannock and strawberries, an Indigenous market, The Bannock Room Food Truck, and the Westwind Intertribal Big Drum Family.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work at Archipelago as a dockside validator? We had the opportunity to join two of our validators during an offload in Richmond, British Columbia. As a dockside validator, you see the fishing industry firsthand by meeting the skipper, observing the offload, and seeing all the different species caught in our waters. At the dock, you will ensure all the fish being offloaded are identified, weighed, and counted. You are tasked with completing offload paperwork that encapsulates everything offloaded to a species level, reporting undersized and prohibited fish, and receiving and providing a hard drive to the vessel to record their next trip via the onboard camera systems. For some offloads, you will piece count some species and tag all legal halibut from the boat. Dockside validators are key to maintaining integrity within the industry between the vessels and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. It’s an incredible opportunity to see the countless beautiful fish firsthand and meet some of the industry's most knowledgeable and admirable people on our coast. This is one of the few jobs where we can confidently say that every day is different!

Electronic Monitoring of the West Coast Dungeness Crab Fishing Fleets In 2021, Archipelago, partnered with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), embarked on a journey to test the efficacy of the FishVue LIME system. This innovative tool aimed to improve the accuracy and consistency of data collection, leading to the modernization of the management of the coastal WA Commercial Dungeness crab fishery. During pilot projects in 2021 and 2022, on two and ten vessels, respectively, the FishVue LIME system proved its mettle by accurately recording fishing locations and tracking the number of pots fished under mandatory trap limits. The EM project also enabled WDFW to evaluate spatial fishery data, leading to strategies to minimize interactions with marine mammals. These key achievements were instrumental in WDFW's decision to consider the projects successful. In the summer of 2023, WDFW successfully implemented EM regulations for the coastal WA Commercial Dungeness crab fishery, with more than 200 current active vessels. Following the success of the pilot project of the Washington Dungeness Crab Fishing Fleet, Archipelago has partnered with California to facilitate the monitoring of their Dungeness Crab Fleet, which currently has more than 120 active users. FishVue LIME is a low-cost data collection platform that allows fleet managers, fisheries managers, and enforcement managers to monitor and access critical fisheries-related activity in near real-time. Paired with FishVue Fleet, it allows its users to view current and historical fishing activity so that users can make decisions and take action faster than ever before.  If you want to learn more about FishVue LIME and FishVue Fleet and how they may apply to your fishery monitoring needs, visit our website at https://archipelago.ca or contact us.

In April, Archipelago was recognized by Camosun College as the 2023 Co-op Employer of the Year. Join us in celebrating this milestone and explore our press release to learn more about our journey and the impactful work of our co-op program: https://lnkd.in/gqidZxF

Archipelago is honoured to have been recognized as the Camosun College 2023 Employer of the Year for Arts & Science. Our gratitude towards Camosun staff and students is unparalleled.   Seeing all the brilliant young minds coming out of Camosun is a delight, and we are so excited to see what amazing things they will accomplish in the future. Having the opportunity to be a part of their educational careers is a great honour.

From all of us here at Archipelago: Thank you all for the great year. Let’s sit back, relax, and celebrate. Wishing you a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year.