Hard Substrate Seabed Monitoring Techniques

Evaluation of Video and Non-Video, Hard Substrate Seabed Monitoring Techniques (issued October, 2003)

Video monitoring of the seabed is currently being used to document baseline conditions, and monitor potential impacts of fishfarm operations situated over hard substrate over hard substrate and shell gravel areas of seabed on the BC coast. However, there are inherent disadvantages with this approach such as documenting irregular bottom typography, repeat positioning to an identical location, the potential for poor underwater visibility, difficulty in quantifying smaller rare but potentially sensitive biota, and the need to use larger crews and operating vessels. In addition to these technical challenges, strong predictive models have yet to be developed relating salmon aquaculture waste to patterns of community-level change in hard substrate and shell gravel environments, and in turn to ecologically significant alterations of the receiving environment. Therefore, BCARDC would like to research potential, practical and cost-effective alternatives to the use of underwater video. The purpose of this research is to provide provincial and federal regulators with viable alternatives to the use of underwater video which will meet their present and future regulatory needs.