Co-Convenors: Steven J. Barbeaux (USA), Jennifer Boldt (Canada), Martin Dorn (USA) and Jaebong Lee (Korea)

Invited Speakers:
Sonia Batten (Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, UK/Canada)
Chris Rooper (NMFS-Alaska Fishery Science Center, USA)

Long-term monitoring is a key component of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. Data time series enable the examination of changes in oceanographic and community metrics. In addition to costly ocean monitoring systems with sensor arrays and autonomous vehicles, low cost cooperative monitoring efforts would enhance our understanding of marine ecosystems, as well as help insure their long-term viability. An important consideration for sustainable long-term ocean monitoring is the development of affordable solutions to deploying and retrieving sensors. Sustainable long-term ocean monitoring is successfully being implemented at regional scales with low-cost options as presented in the 2012 PICES Annual Meeting session entitled "Monitoring on a small budget: Cooperative research and the use of commercial and recreational vessels as sampling platforms
for biological and oceanographic monitoring". Researchers from many nations are now working with other ocean going stakeholders such as fishers and mariners to collect oceanographic and fisheries data for little to no deployment and retrieval costs. This session is intended to provide a forum for researchers to present the development and results of cooperative monitoring projects world-wide. The session will also explore the feasibility of developing low-cost and long-term cooperative ocean monitoring networks based on the lessons learned from these projects. When combined with efforts such as the Global Oceans Observing System (GOOS), cooperative ocean monitoring networks will make an important contribution to achieving data-driven ecosystembased management.