The Grasse River, a tributary to the St. Lawrence River in northern New York, underwent a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund-led cleanup effort to remove or otherwise isolate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the environment. Prior to the remedial activities, which include dredging of nearshore areas and capping of sediments in the main channel, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in cooperation with the New York State Museum and the Saint Regis … [Read more...]
Fathom Resource Dive Operations Support NUWC Division Newport’s Annual Naval Technology Exercise
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division in Newport, R.I., hosted the 2016 Annual Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) Aug. 16-18 at its Narragansett Bay Test Facility (NBTF). ANTX is an annual three-day event created by the NUWC Division Newport to demonstrate future Navy technologies in action today. Naval Warfare Centers, universities, and industry partners are invited to showcase their latest unmanned systems and related technologies at the NBTF range. ANTX provides a low-risk … [Read more...]
Recent trainee puts new skills to work!
Recent trainee puts new skills to work! Nothing could be more satisfying for us in our line of work then to read first hand accounts about how the training we provided helped someone out of a potentially dangerous situation like this one. This post is shared from a recent participant of Fathoms Resources Offshore Safety Training Program. … [Read more...]
HADLEY FALLS HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT DIVE INSPECTION
2014 - HADLEY FALLS HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT DIVE INSPECTION The following scope of work at the Hadley Falls Hydroelectric Project was performed to aid in the development of design details for the new intake fish exclusion rack project. The proposed scope involved the inspection of Western and Eastern Abutments, bottom Condition Assessment along Alignment of Trash Racks; and the submerged rock-filled Timber Crib Dam. Record the height/width of fishway exit flume opening relative to the … [Read more...]
National Marine Fisheries Service, Industry Funded Scallop (IFS) Observer Provider 2011-Present, National Marine Fisheries Service, Industry Funded At Sea Monitor (ASM) Provider Service 2011-2015
History: Fathom Resources (Fathom) has over five years of experience specifically managing vessel call ins and observer deployments on scallop vessels throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Fathom has also been managing the deployment of observers for the at-sea monitoring program since October 2011. Fathom currently employs active status observers for both the industry funded scallop program and the at-sea monitoring. Fathom subcontracted NEFOP certified observers to assist NMFS … [Read more...]
New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal Construction, Fish Monitoring Surveys (2014)
Project Summary: During construction of the NBMCT, many activities (including dredging) may have a temporary detrimental effect to the fish that may be present within New Bedford Harbor. A Fish Monitoring Workgroup (including members from NMFS, EPA and Mass DMF) was convened to prepare a Fish Deterrent Plan that could be utilized to reduce the impact to fish by excluding them from a proposed area. The input from the Fish Monitoring Workgroup was incorporated into a Fish Deterrent Plan. This … [Read more...]
New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal Dredge Associated Blasting Marine Mammal and Protected Marine Species Observer Services (2015)
Project Summary: The construction of the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal included dredging of the adjacent shipping channel. Dredging of the shipping channel to mandated depths, required the blasting of bedrock, which inhibited dredging operations. As a result, marine mammal and protected species observation was required by the NMFS, EPA and Mass DMF during all blasting operations. Scope of Work: Fathom Resources (Fathom) conducted pre and post blast monitoring for the presence of fish … [Read more...]
Salem Harbor Dredged Material Disposal, Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Observer Services (2016)
Project Summary: From February 1 through May 30 of any year, an approved marine mammal observer must be present aboard disposal vessels transiting between a dredge site and the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site during daylight hours. Disposal vessels including tugs, barges, and scows, shall operate at speeds exceeding 5 knots after sunset, before sunrise, or in daylight conditions where visibility is less than one nautical mile. Disposal shall not be permitted if these requirements cannot be met … [Read more...]
Northeast Fisheries Observer Program, Offshore Safety Training
Training Summary: The Northeast Fisheries Observer Program (NEFOP) places observers on commercial fishing vessels operating in waters off Maine through North Carolina, completing between 6,000 and 12,000 sea days per year. To meet the sea day schedule NEFOP must maintain a base of approximately 100 + observers. Authority to place observers on commercial fishing vessels comes from the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered … [Read more...]
Narragansett Bay Shallow Water Test Facility Array Installation
Project Summary: The Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport (NUWC) upgraded its undersea tracking capability in Narragansett Bay. NUWC installed a new underwater sensor node array to add increased undersea tracking capability and make existing and future NBSWTF operations more efficient. The sensor node array was originally designed to be utilized as a Portable Tracking System (PTS). The array consists of a trunk cable and a hydrophone sensor node array. The trunk cable and array are … [Read more...]