The Protected Species Program Manager for Marine Ventures International, Inc. (MVI), Brittiny Bennett, will be instructing a Protected Species Observer (PSO) course on behalf of CSA Ocean Sciences via webinar on May 25, 2020.

The PSO course is compliant with the BOEM NTL 2016-G02 according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)/Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The course emphasizes the specific BOEM guidelines explaining the requirements for seismic operations and marine protected faunal species mitigation in the Gulf of Mexico.  In addition, the guidelines are necessary as a base knowledge for working geological and geophysical surveys on offshore windfarm projects in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

The PSO course has also been reviewed and approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manatee training is offered as part of the PSO course and is necessary for marine construction projects in the state of Florida.

Previous courses instructed by MVI were held at the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, FL, the University of Trinidad and Tobago in Chaguaramas, Trinidad, the MVI office in Stuart, FL among other locations.

MVI has also hosted courses successfully via webinar and is looking forward to e-hosting another group of students. By offering the PSO course via webinar, MVI has made training accessible to individuals who may not have the ability to attend due to travel restrictions or financial concerns.

PSOs provide an essential service in monitoring and mitigating for marine protected species in support of seismic operations, offshore wind and marine construction projects. If you are an individual who is interested in visual marine mammal research, the protection of marine wildlife, or are looking to boost your qualifications, please register here.

To learn more about MVI’s protected species observation capabilities, click here.