Darryn’s decade of experience in marine ecology provides a unique perspective to her role as a Quality Assurance Engineer at Echoview.
This week she presented research from her PhD thesis at the 2023 International Temperate Reefs Symposium (ITRS) in Hobart, Australia where Echoview Software is also exhibiting.
The ITRS is the premier conference for marine scientists with a focus on temperate hard-bottom habitats. The meeting caters for scientific disciplines including ecology, temperate reef biology, biogeochemistry, genetics, oceanography, remote sensing, biogeography and management, and other interdisciplinary links. The 2023 symposium is hosted by the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies.
Darryn’s thesis focused on developing a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) as a monitoring tool for benthic fish, by evaluating the capabilities of ROV surveys and establishing effective methodology.
Her research utilized seafloor maps generated from multibeam echosounder (MBES) data to identify seabed terrain features, to then inform sampling strategies. The specific deployment path taken by the Saab Seaeye Falcon ROV was recorded using an ultra-short acoustic baseline positioning system, allowing abundance and biomass estimates determined from the high-definition stereo-video footage onboard the ROV to be paired with MBES-derived seabed terrain features (e.g. seafloor ruggedness) and depth.
Seabed terrain features were calculated over many spatial scales to better inform species distribution models of key fisheries-targeted species on the southeastern coast of Tasmania, Australia. This research highlighted the effectiveness of video-based ROV surveys and the incorporation of MBES mapping and multi-scale terrain features for assessing fish populations across a range of depths and habitats that may be difficult to access by other survey methods.
For more information on Darryn’s work, please visit here.
Echoview Software is pleased to be exhibiting at this event. If you would like further information on hydroacoustic data processing, please visit our stand or email us at info@echoview.com
