A low-cost towed video camera system for underwater surveys: comparative performance with standard methodology

TROBBIANI, G. A.; IRIGOYEN, A.; VENERUS, L. A.; FIORDA, P. M.; PARMA, A. M.

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT

SPRINGER

Año: 2018 vol. 190

0167-6369

Technological advances in the field of underwater video have led to an exponential increase in the use of drifting cameras (DC) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to monitor the diversity, abundance, and size structure of marine life. Main advantages of DCs relative to ROVs are their lower costs and the much simpler logistics required to operate them. This study compares the performance of a new low-cost DC system equipped with a novel measuring device with that of a standard DC bearing an array of laser pointers. The new method for density estimation that avoids the need to calculate the width of the field of view, thus reducing the video processing time by around 60%with respect to the standard method. Briefly, the new system offers an efficient low-cost alternative for benthic ecology studies conducted on soft or non-irregular bottoms.