Using robots in aquaculture industry Clayton Hunt, Published on November 17, 2014 To say that Tracy Granter is excited about the developing use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in Newfoundland’s aquaculture industry would be an understatement. Granter is a senior aquaculture technologist with the Marine Institute’s (MI) Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development who became aware of the potential benefits of ROVs in the industry when asked to do some work on a mussel grow-out operation. “We were asked by the operator to use cameras to inspect mussel stocks and to check for predators. I asked the MI’s lead ROV instructor, Richard Vandervoort, to help with the project by using a ROV in the work. “The ROV worked amazingly well in the cold, icy conditions and it was then I realized the advantages of using ROVs in the aquaculture industry.” Granter said while the ROVs can be used for many purposes, such as documenting and looking for the presence or absence of fouling organisms, the technology has two key advantages: ROVs can be used for site selection and monitoring once cages are supplied with fish. Gathering information about a site before an aquaculture species in introduced is critical to the project. In addition to taking water samples to measure dissolved oxygen and temperature, ROVs can capture still and video images to identify mooring system requirements, anchorage types and ice scour. ROVs can also collect sea bottom samples to look at current strength and wave action. They can document existing habitat and look for predators and invasive species. Granter said the consumer and industry demand for certification programs, environmental management protocol and strict best practices are requiring operators to use comprehensive and inexpensive ways to monitor and inspect their sites. ROVs can monitor how much feed is being put into the water, carry out net and mooring inspections, document fish behaviour and count the number of fish left in the event of an escape. They can also be used to inspect fish for pathogens and test water quality. According to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, about half the world’s seafood comes from aquaculture ROVS in other jurisdictions According to Granter, the Norwegians are interested in using ROVs in their aquaculture projects, and even to clean nets. “Aquaculture industry officials in Norway have approached the Marine Institute to see if they can use the MI’s ROV program for training pilots for their aquaculture industry,” she said. “The Norwegians are really interested in the possibility of using ROVs to clean nets in the water as this operation is very expensive and time consuming to do on land.” Key message Granter said while ROVs have some advantages, such as the ability to spend more time underwater and at greater depths than human divers, they will not necessarily replace divers. “One of the key points I want to stress in all of this,” she said, “is that we don’t want to replace divers from the aquaculture picture completely. “ROVs are expensive to purchase and require a trained pilot to operate and maintain. It is also difficult for an ROV to capture video if the visibility underwater is not ideal. “They can’t give a personal perspective on a problem being experienced on a site like a diver could do. However, ROVs are an option that many aquaculture companies around the world are using, as they bring some advantages to the game.” ROVs are controlled from the surface with real-time feedback provided to the operator. The three primary components of a ROV system include the underwater vehicle, a tether cable and a control console.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 03:22:36 +0000
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