Awtij Indigenous Marine Intelligence Wins MEOPAR and Ocean Exchange Funding Award

8 October 2026
Edited By: Haley McQueen

The Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) and Ocean Exchange have announced that Awtij, Indigenous Marine Intelligence, based in Lennox Island First Nation, PEI, is the winner of a $100,000 funding award. The award, funded by MEOPAR, includes CAD$100,000 and recognizes an AI-based solution that advances understanding of the ocean and helps minimize human impact on its ecosystems. The award focuses on AI as a tool to understand and predict the ocean, supporting responsible management and sustainable development of the ocean economy.

Four finalists were selected through a peer review process and pitched to a panel of four judges on September 22 in Ottawa during the 2nd edition of the Understanding and Predicting the Ocean Using AI workshop, hosted by MEOPAR and the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS). The other finalists were Deep Oculus, Open Ocean Robotics, and Whale Seeker. MEOPAR will also be supporting these three finalists.

Awtij, the recipient of the award, is an Indigenous-owned business that equips working boats, including fishing vessels and Indigenous Guardian patrol boats, with AI-enabled sensor packages. The systems continuously stream energy, environmental, and position data ashore, giving coastal communities affordable, accessible ocean monitoring data that they manage and own.

As the winner, Awtij will be invited to present at Ocean Exchange in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, October 25–27, and will have access to the network support Ocean Exchange provides its fall finalists, including ocean tech investors and strategic partners.

Michael Maracle-Polak, Co-Founder & President of Awtij, shared: “This award recognizes something coastal communities have always known, the people who work the water every day are the best placed to observe it. With MEOPAR’s support, we’ll turn more working boats into ocean observation platforms, with the data governed by the communities that collect it.”

Jamie Snook, Executive Director of MEOPAR, said: “This challenge marked an exciting new direction for MEOPAR: a fresh partnership with Ocean Exchange and a direct avenue for private-sector impact. It was inspiring to see emerging ventures bring fresh innovation to the ocean economy. The winning company demonstrated exceptional alignment with the Strategic Science Fund, and I anticipate a very bright future ahead for their team.”

Millicent Pitts, Executive Director of Ocean Exchange, said: “Our partnership with MEOPAR is a natural extension of a decade of work we’ve done inside the Canadian startup ecosystem and also complements our role in the US NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerator Grant, which focuses on data collection and information products. AWTIJ is a great example of leveraging work and fishing vessels for data collection and to expand coastal information along the vast ocean areas of Canada. Congratulations to Michael Maracle-Polak and the team at Awtij.”