In phase I research, tridentis advanced marine vehicles (AMV) utilized its ghost hunter autonomous surface vessel and advanced data processing techniques being pioneered at the university of…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded $683,131 to Tridentis Advanced Marine Vehicles LLC on September 1, 2026, under the NOAA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (CFDA 11.021) to develop and deploy autonomous marine survey technology for identifying and locating derelict crab pots, known as ghost pots, in marine environments.

Phase I research demonstrated the feasibility of conducting autonomous marine surveys using Tridentis's Ghost Hunter autonomous surface vessel and advanced data processing techniques developed in partnership with the University of Delaware to generate location data for ghost pots. The Phase II research, which this award funds, will build on Phase I results by deploying the Ghost Hunter equipped with onboard artificial intelligence edge processing to conduct live field exercises in which the vessel will guide an in situ recovery team to ghost pot locations for actual recovery operations. The research addresses the ecological and economic impacts of derelict fishing gear on crab harvests by dramatically reducing the time and cost of ghost pot identification and location, allowing conservation resources to shift from survey to removal efforts.

Performance of work occurs in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with a period of performance extending from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. The award is structured as a Project Grant under the SBIR program, which supports proof of concept, research and development, and commercialization activities by small business concerns.

In phase I research, tridentis advanced marine vehicles (AMV) utilized its ghost hunter autonomous surface vessel and advanced data processing techniques being pioneered at the university of delaware (UD) to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting autonomous marine surveys to generate a data product identifying the location of derelict crab pots, or ghost pots. A 2016 study (bilkovic, slacum, zaveta, & jeffrey, 2016) sponsored by NOAA quantified the ecological and economic impacts of ghost pots, and the significant positive impact of removal efforts on valuable crab harvests. The key opportunity this research will pursue is to dramatically reduce the time and cost of ghost pot identification and location, so that a greater proportion of limited conservation resources may be dedicated to removal. The phase II research will build on the phase I research to deploy the ghost hunter with onboard AI edge processing to conduct a live field exercise, in which the ghost hunter will guide an insitu recovery team to the location of ghost pots, and those ghost pots will actually be recovered.