Sensors and sonars give you an idea of what’s going on with your fishing gear, but they don’t tell the whole story. To get the full picture, an underwater camera is what you need and there are a few of these on the market.
Danish company LH Camera has introduced a high-definition underwater video camera mounted in a cylindrical case with a diameter of only 54mm, developed in co-operation with professor Niels Madsen of DTU Aqua as part of the Skånfisk sustainable fishery initiative.
First tested during the Galatea 3 expedition as a tool for research teams, it was central to the identification of previously unknown flourescent organisms in waters around the Solomon and Virgin Islands
Today the result of continued development is a compact recorder with a 1080×1920 HD quality, ideal for mounting on fishing gear that has a 10-hour recording capacity.
The camera is operated with a Plug and Play connector. When it is connected to the unit, it starts recording and continues until the connector is disconnected, which stops the recording.
The camera is available as stand-alone device or with an analog video out socket allowing viewing of live footage from the camera via coaxial cable connection to the surface while simultaneously storing full HD video footage to the camera’s internal memory.
Transferring video files from the camera to a computer is easily done via the integral USB / charging adapter port.
According to LH Camera, the system records at a rate of 30fps through its 120° wide-angle lens and the unit is pressure tight to 500 metres with a battery life of ten hours.
The clips below were filmed to monitor the sorting grid on Danish fishing vessel Grethe Hvide L-227 while fishing for spaerling, with LH Camera lights rigged during the tow at a depth of 190 metres.
Source: LH Camera
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