Application of an underwater surveillance camera for monitoring the fish activity on coral areas

摘要

This paper describes an underwater surveillance camera for monitoring fish species activity on an inshore coral reef in a Marine Park in Hong Kong. The system consists of a high-resolution pan, tilt and zoom camera. It is connected to the shore base station via a fibre-optic cable with power conductors. The system is designed to be used for long periods of time, continuously. The first period chosen was for 100 days during the coral spawning season from June to August 2004. The system has also been used regularly for 2-3 weeks at a time to monitor changes in fish behaviour in different climatic conditions. Results from the initial experiment show that fish species activity is generally markedly different from that recorded by human divers. There is also some correlation between species, time of day, and climatic and environmental conditions - correlations that have not been reported before. The paper will give details of the results of the observations, as well as technical details of the system.