2004 Scallop Research Setaside Project 007
Cooperative Fisheries Research

NOAA award: project 04-SCA-007
to Arnies's Fisheries, New Bedford

Most everyone who has gone to sea has wondered what was below. This project is dedicated to finding out and making that information available via the internet.

This second round of funding was from the scallop Research Setaside (RSA) with the scallop fishing industry generating the money by catching scallops and contributing a portion of the proceeds. Administered by NOAA Fisheries, this project brought together the best of two worlds. WHOI scientists offer a long history of undersea imaging and experience with the most advanced technologies. Partners from the commercial scallop fishery contribute first hand knowledge about what lives where, capable vessels, and what it takes to get things done at sea. This combination of skills allows us to make progress in collecting, processing, and disseminating information to better characterize our offshore areas and marine resources.

Initial development of the camerasled system was provided by the Northeast Consortium of SeaGrant Institutions in 2002.

The project team:

from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Scott Gallager, Jonathan Howland, Andy Girard, Lane Abrams,
Chris Griner, Tito Collasius, and Emily Miller.
Amber York became a primary team member during 2006.
Steve Lerner and Monroe Tyler joined the effort in 2007,
Max Castorini in 2008.

from the commercial fishing industry:

F/V Kathy Marie, owner Arnie DeMello
Captain Paul Rosonina, Jarry Shervo, Donald Rosonina, and Engineer Tony Melo

Norman Vine, image processing
Richard Taylor

The second round of funding was generated by the hard work of the skippers and crews of:
F/Vs Kathy Marie, Kayla Rose, Westport, Christian and Alexa, Atlantic, Guidance, Silver Sea, Kathy and Jackie, Santa Barbara, Jillian, Cool Change, Baystar II, and Addy J.


 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
website with all images, project MapServer, and other data products
http://habcam.whoi.edu
Thanks to Amber York

Poster for AAAS and ASLO meetings, Feb 2006

What follows below is a quick tour of our progress
in developing the camera system and our first trips at sea.

Objective 1:
Develop a towed instrument to photograph scallop distribution
and
substrate from a commercial fishing vessel.

Design output: ~14-18,000 images per hour (4-5 per second) at 4-5 knots

  Fibreoptic networked digital camera - open bottle, rightside


larger image in new window

  Fibreoptic networked digital camera - open bottle, leftside


larger image in new window

  Primary project vessel F/V Kathy Marie, New Bedford


larger image in new window

  Testing the light spacing and alignment with wooden frame


larger image in new window

  Camerasled frame from Northeast Consortium project 2002


larger image in new window

  Modified camerasled frame with additional lighting


larger image in new window

  Camerasled frame on WHOI dock for final testing


larger image in new window

  NOMAD Fibreoptic winch, on deck F/V Kathy Marie


larger image in new window

  Test 873, WHOI dock well, "self labelling shells"


larger image in new window

Putting the camera aboard, F/V Kathy Marie owner Arnold DeMello


larger image in new window

Objective 2:
Conduct preliminary surveys in several areas.
Collect initial data for development of processsing methods.

  First sea trials, October 2005
  Nantucket Sound, towing at 3 knots,


larger image in new window

  Load testing winch and wire


larger image in new window

  Wheelhouse - looking at the images as they come up the fiber


larger image in new window

  Sample, first sea trials, shallow water,
         unprocessed, ~1.2 meters wide by 1 meter


larger image in new window

  Steaming in with ~31,000 bottom images, ~50Gb, in ~4hrs


larger image in new window
 

  Second trip: November 2005
  Nantucket Lightship Closed Area

  Overview NLSCLA transect area


larger image in new window

  Sample, deeper, ~1.2 meters wide by 1 meter
  realistically cold and dark NHV


larger image in new window

   Sample mosaic, NLSCLA, ~1 meter wide by ~10 meters
   multiple image processing steps


larger image in new window
 

  Third trip: January 2006
  Western Great South Channel

   Sample mosaic, single image processing step,
  ~1.5 meter strip by ~5 meters


full resolution image in new window

   Three skates, ~1.5 meter strip by ~5 meters

full resolution image in new window

   Gravel and sand, 21 images, ~15 meter strip


full resolution image in new window

   Boulder, 10 images, ~8 meter strip


full resolution image in new window

 

   Exploring new color processing methods - Norman Vine


full resolution image in new window

 

   Exploring new color processing methods 2 - Norman Vine


full resolution image in new window

Exploring automated color balancing, blending and mosaicing
   Norman Vine

full resolution image in new window

  Exploring another method viewing images

   Found along the way

  Wrong time of the year for cod here, one in >200,000 images

full resolution image in new window
 

  Fourth trip: 14 February 2006
  Elephant Trunk growout area, off New Jersey



full resolution image in new window

  R/V Albatross tows in 2004 and 2005


full resolution image in new window

  R/V Albatross tows and fishing effort, 2003 and Spring 2004


full resolution image in new window

  R/V Albatross tows in Elephant Trunk


full resolution image in new window

  Elephant Trunk, 15 February 2006


full resolution image in new window

  Sample image from Elephant Trunk 15 February 2006
    taken at 5.5 frames per second at 4.8 knots


full resolution image in new window

  Before and after - lightfield removal

  Sample mosaic from Elephant Trunk
What color is it down there?
the skate and the clean scallops look about right

  Feast of the snails - Elephant Trunk 15-16 February 2006
    three have had enough already


full resolution image in new window
 

  Sample mosaic from NLSCLA Habitat Closure Area
near the Andrea Doria
Are we providing protection to the right area(s)?

  Collecting data on a fishing trip, Southeast Part of Georges Bank
Closed Area 2, August 2006


full resolution image in new window

  Starfish, Southeast Part 2006, Closed Area 2

  Empty scallops and ctenaphores, Southeast Part 2006, Closed Area 2

  Northern Edge, HAPC, Closed Area 2
rare images of cod


full resolution image in new window

  F/V Kathy Marie gang out front on WHOI dock
    Jarry Shervo, Donald Rosonina, Capt Paul Rosonina,
Capt Norman Vine, inset Engineer Tony Melo


full resolution image in new window

Contact

first created 6:06 AM 11/02/2005

last modified 9:40 PM 8/3/2006