Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA)
Duerr Laboratory for Marine Conservation, 1420 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, , Florida, United States

In 2005, Edie Widder, Ph.D. co-founded the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) in Fort Pierce, Florida, with a focus on developing innovative technologies to protect and restore our aquatic ecosystems and the species they sustain.

Housed in the historic Coast Guard station in Fort Pierce, Florida, ORCA’s main campus is home to ORCA’s corporate offices, the ORCA FAST and Sentinel offices and laboratory. ORCA’s engineering facilities are located in Satellite Beach, Florida and Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Since its inception, Dr. Widder and the ORCA team of engineers, research scientists and marine biologists have achieved exciting progress in using the latest technologies to develop low-cost solutions for analysis of our polluted waterways.

Among the programs currently underway at ORCA, The ORCA Kilroy , the ORCA Fast Assessment of Sediment Toxicity (FAST) and the ORCA Sentinel programs provide information on water characteristics and toxicity that when combined can be used to determine sources of non-point source pollution in coastal and estuary waters.

In addition to coastal and estuary conservation, ORCA’s Deep Sea Conservation programs utilize current technology to provide real time and video footage of deep ocean life and conditions. The ORCA Eye In The Sea is a real time camera system streaming continuous video to shore for months at a time while the ORCA Medusa is a deployable camera system capable of recording up to 72 hours of continuous video at depths up to 2000 meters.

By combining innovative technology and applied science, ORCA is leading the way in protection and conservation of our valuable coast, estuaries and oceans -- saving these precious habitats for the generations of tomorrow.

OUR MISSION

The Mission
The mission of the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) is to protect and restore aquatic ecosystems and the species they sustain through the development of innovative technologies and science-based conservation action.

The Challenge: Understanding the Need for Marine Conservation
Three recent comprehensive studies (the Pew Oceans Commission, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) have identified the deterioration of our oceans as one of our planet’s most pressing environmental concerns. Of particular risk are the coastal zones and estuaries, which provide essential nurseries for coastal and open ocean species, yet receive the brunt of human impact. In the face of progressive decline, policymakers, industry leaders and citizens throughout the nation often remain inactive.

The Solution: Using Technology to Advance Ocean Conservation
ORCA is developing high-tech sensors and communications systems capable of detecting the presence of certain plants, animals and other factors important in evaluating water quality. Such systems will report back
to scientists and the public through intuitive website interfaces, so better management solutions can be implemented against threats, such as red tides, to healthy marine ecosystems.