Sea Technology

DEC 2012

The industry's recognized authority for design, engineering and application of equipment and services in the global ocean community

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The echosounder will be launched in 2013, commercialized by Simrad (Horten, Norway). In addition to the echosounder, WESTZOO researchers have developed a stereo camera method for photographing organisms being measured in ocean depths. The photos are used to verify the patterns and data detected by the echosounder. The researchers also created an acoustic probe to quantify and distinguish fsh and plankton down to depths of 1,500 meters. EU's DEVOTES Aims to Improve Marine Monitoring Strategies The European Union (EU) in November launched the DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status) project, which aims to explore how marine biodiversity is measured and to support the development of costeffective systems in monitoring and management strategies. The four-year DEVOTES project, which has a €12 million fund, involves more than 250 scientists in 23 research centres from 12 EU countries, as well as Ukraine, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Ángel Borja, principal investigator at AZTI-Tecnalia's marine research division, will coordinate the project. The scientists will develop and validate innovative tools that relate to ecological theory and assessment. These include remote sensing, modeling and genomics. The goal is to advance the understanding of the changes in ecosystems and biodiversity. With the information and products generated during the DEVOTES project, the researchers will propose to the European authorities some measures contributing to the sustainable use of seas and marine resources. Tagging Research Reveals Tracks Of Mako Shark in High Resolution A satellite-reporting tagging device known as a Smart Position and Temperature (SPOT) tag, attached to a shortfn mako shark in New Zealand, is providing scientists previously unknown details of the species' timing and longdistance migratory movements. As of November, the juvenile shark had traveled 5,700 miles in fve months, averaging 60 miles per day. The Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) at Nova Southeastern University is collaborating with the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) on the tagging experiment with Carol, the shortfn mako shark. The SPOT tag revealed the shark spends a lot of time at the ocean surface, reporting its location to the satellite several times daily. The shark's movements are tracked at www.nova. edu/~johnmatt/makosharks.htm. "Conventional identifcation tags tell us little about the timing of mako shark movements, the route that they take or distance traveled," said Malcolm Francis, who is leading the NIWA effort on this study. Since makos are often fshed for their fns and meat, their population trends are declining in parts. They are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species. The GHRI and NIWA plan to expand this study off New Zealand starting in January 2013. The GHRI is working with Keen M International (Isla Mujeres, Mexico) to compare the migratory patterns of mako sharks in the Atlantic by tagging them off Isla Mujeres. n VA500 Altimeter a new approach to subsea distance measurement • 500kHzBroadbandTransducer • 0.1-100mrange • Digital&Analogueoutputsasstandard; • 9–28vdcpowerinput • Highaccuracy0.01%pressuretransduceroption *oUtact us Uow to PTprove `our KPstaUce TeasureTeUt. ;el! :t. 7eter»s 8ua` ;otUes +evoU ;8 ,>

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