POSTER Session 4

DFFE BAITED REMOTE UNDERWATER VIDEO SYSTEMS: A PLATFORM USED TO ADVANCE FISHERIES AND BENTHIC RESEARCH

The evolution of under-water photo and video infrastructure that can be used to take footage at depths and in environments beyond SCUBA capabilities has advanced fisheries research globally. Baited Remote Underwater Video camera systems (BRUVs), can provide standardized data with minimal environmental impact which otherwise can only be obtained from existing, destructive fisheries and benthic sampling approaches (eg: trawl nets and dredges). BRUVs are efficient devices for remotely characterizing the assemblage and relative density of fishes and other marine organisms. Stereo-BRUV systems consist of two hi-definition convergent video cameras inside waterproof housings, attached to a base-bar and held in a frame with a form of baited container in front of the cameras. Systems are generally tethered by rope to surface buoys and ballast weights can be added to frames for use in areas with strong currents, whereas tetherless “lander” systems with acoustic release-mechanisms are now also used in deeper depths. Here we share some lessons learned through surveying various environments around the uninhabited Prince Edward Islands (PEI) in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean. This specific survey conducted in November 2023, was the first of its kind around the islands and aimed to assess the feasibility to use BRUV technology to study macro ecological patterns in the water area around the islands. The cruise yielded the first visuals of the seabed across a 10 – 60 m depth range and the first account of fish and shallow invertebrate fauna since a SCUBA diving study conducted in the area in 1989.

*Laurenne Snyders, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa, [email protected]

Sven Kerwath, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South Africa, [email protected]

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