Summit 2019
The 2019 Summit was held in St. Petersburg, Florida November 5-7, 2019 at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Institute.
There has been a continuous advancement in new technologies and resources for small boat operations and that was the focus of the 2019 Small Boat Summit. Some of the topics that were covered include the Vessel Operations Program, the required float plan system, new electronic navigation policy, new training resources, new small boats, and highlighting of emerging science technologies, specifically unmanned systems. The Small Boat Program personnel and Small Boat Safety Board members discussed the changes in small boat procedures and policies, answered questions, and assured VOCs have a clear understanding of these changes and how to communicate them to boat operators in the field.
A total of 118 NOAA and industry partner personnel attending, including the Small Boat Safety Board, Small Boat Program Office, Vessel Program Coordinators, Vessel Operations Coordinators, and NOAA and FWRI waterfront personnel. Keynote speaker was Mr. Benjamin Friedman, NOAA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Operations accompanied by Mr. Mark Seiler, NOAA's Chief Financial Officer.
The presentations that were given: