UAS Could Help Bluefin Tuna Industry

TunaA UAS-mounted camera has been used to create a promotional video for Sekol, sparking discussions about different possible uses for UAS in the tuna industry. Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association chief executive Brian Jeffriess said the use of UAS had been suggested for aerial tuna spotting and identifying poachers.

Mr Jeffriess said aerial spotting by tuna companies took place from late November to mid March and measured southern bluefin tuna tonnage.

“Aerial spotting is a highly skilled profession, requiring a lot of experience to identify from the air the presence of the patches (schools) of fish on the surface, the actual size of the tuna in the patches, and the size of the patch itself,” he said.

“The industry and CSIRO have worked before on LIDAR (light detection and ranging) systems which can identify surface and sub-surface schools but the technical problems were too difficult.

“At some time in the future, there is no doubt that someone will approach the industry and CSIRO with a proposal to utilise a technology such as drones.

“However, we are not considering any investment in it.”

Mr Jeffriess said the bluefin tuna industry was only “25 per cent along the learning curve” in terms of how to ranch the best product and research and development was being invested in this area.

He said UAS could also be used to identify poachers and could be an option with current technology.

“This use (to identify poachers) could be done with the current UAS technology and, combined with other surveillance uses at the same time, is likely to be an option at an early stage,” Mr Jeffriess said.

Source: Port Lincoln Times

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