dr snapper - capturing fish on camera
If you have not seen the sun for a while, are listening to David Gray a fair bit and daydream about your next summer holidays, the very least you can do to quench that thirst is to dust off your treasure box of polaroids and snorkel through some glistening memories. I reviewed some footage from a sizzling holiday in Corfu and found some snaps of flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) shot with a waterwolf (and run a spirulina filter over it).
Reminiscing now over a cuppa about a very special summer holiday when we dipped into the Australasian winter down under last July/August. Mind you, the day out on the Great Barrier Reef must have been freezin for a Cairnite, but with 23degC it was a balmy affair for us. We descended on a pretty windy day and boarded a Reef Magic tour. It was a memorable day out at sea. Here are some impressions. The fish you see are Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus) and a trevally (Caranx spp.) which I “drsnappered” with my spydro (for some of the other shots by courtesy of Reef Magic tours - it was not that sunny after all ;)).
Dr Snapper promotes a new approach to underwater observation, aquatic surveys, or even recreational catch-and-release fishing. It is a very simple idea and there is already technology out there that allows exactly that: the fish itself actively triggers the camera when attacking a hook-less bait. So to speak, the fish snaps a selfie by rigorously pulling on the bait (see top panel, graphic above), which then sets the camera to record a fixed video sequence. In an upcoming post I will talk about the different, possible trigger mechanisms in more detail. Ideally, via an app and automatic wifi transmission when surfaced, all video files can be (re)viewed instantly (see bottom panel, graphic above). Such a way of underwater observation may not only appeal to animal-welfare conscious recreational fishers, or a young gadget-keen generation of outdoor enthusiasts, but also to scientists wanting to non-invasively survey aquatic fauna. In that case: no fish are harmed, but still a great trophy shot!
The Mornington/Schnapper point pier is home to a resident bull ray (Aetomylaeus bovinus) which I was hoping to catch on a waterwolf camera. The nice thing about the Schnapper Point pier, you do not have to travel far when chasing those hook-less trophy shots. The next clip is going to be about a vegan fishing session on-board a fishing charter vessel though. Coming soon.
At the pier in Mornington, Victoria, I approached a couple of people who were staring down a harbor wall. They had spotted a potbelly or bigbelly seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis), which clung itself around some seaweed. This is the largest seahorse species in Australia. They can grow up to an impressive 35 cm. By dangling a waterwolf camera in some proximity of it with a handline and placing the camera on some pebbles I managed to get a nice shot of it.
During a summer holiday, I visited Corfu - a lush Greek island in the Ionian Sea. The idea was to test two commercial underwater fishing camera's in direct comparison. Have not yet processed all the video, so watch this space.
