Scientists at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are
undertaking an important conservation study into the threatened
rockfish species using a Saab Seaeye Falcon underwater robotic
vehicle.
Senior Marine Fish Research Scientist, Dr. Dayv Lowry, explains
that managing the conservation and recovery of rockfish
populations in Washington's Puget Sound, depends on the accurate
monitoring of rockfish populations, depleted through overfishing
and ecological degradation.
"Of the tools we've tested, only the Falcon can find and measure
the rockfish and other structure-associated marine fish species
found amongst the deep and rocky seabed," says Dr. Lowry.
"The Falcon's versatility and robustness has allowed us to deploy
various camera and instrument payloads while maintaining
manoeuvrability and speed, which are critical to exploring
complex habitat in an efficient manner. Without this system we
simply could not manage natural resources with the degree of
scientific rigor we currently employ."
Until deployment of the Falcon, population studies were imprecise
as trawl surveys were better suited to sampling mud than the
rockfish's rocky habitat, and many rockfish occur too deep for
scuba divers.
At just a metre long, the Falcon is easily deployed from a small
research vessel and can operate at depths up to 1,000 feet and in
all seafloor habitats. Its video data is used to produce precise
population estimates for the most commonly encountered species
and allows the department's scientists to describe and quantify
the relationships between fish and their preferred habitats.
Video data also reveals derelict fishing gear, ready for removal
from Puget Sound waters.
Equipment fitted to the Falcon includes a high-definition camera
to detect and identify many of the small and cryptic fish, along
with a stereo camera for assessing both individual fish size and
the density of fish in a measured field of view.
A conductivity-temperature-depth meter is included to collect
data in real-time that will be used to examine linkages between
physiochemical water quality parameters and fish
distribution/abundance.
Falcon ROV Helps Endangered Rockfish
Apr 15, 2019