DIRECT DIGITAL REMOTE-SENSING OF HERRING SCHOOLS

We report herein the direct digital remote sensing of schools of Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi), using a newly developed Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI). We use the spectrometer capabilities of the instrument to obtain the spectral signature of the schools and their natural background. The imaging capabilities of the instrument are then used to collect spatial data for five different spectral bands. Simple image processing procedures are used to calculate school areas. Compared to aerial photography, digital remote sensing of fish schools offers several advantages including rapid turn around of results, digital image processing and archiving, as well as the possibility of studying the distribution of fish in relation to other parameters which can be remotely measured. Such as phytoplankton (via chlorophyll fluorescence or the blue/green colour), sediment concentration, oil slicks, and water mass boundaries.