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Simplifying the mussel farming process with portable underwater monitoring cameras such as Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) or inspection cameras.
Mussel farming is a mix of traditional shellfish farming and innovative and exciting aquaculture. As the process from seeding to market can span 18-24 months, it is important that farmers have access to tools which will keep their crop safe, are sustainable, and ultimately ensure a bountiful harvest. Let’s take a look at the steps involved in mussel farming and how the use of a Deep Trekker ROV can be beneficial during each stage.
The DTG2, one of Deep Trekker’s robust and portable ROV’s is deployable from either shore, raft or boat. Its easy maneuverability means that it can be deployed to observe this critical stage in the farming cycle with minimal disruption to the delicate spawning environment or interfering with the settling water columns which will nourish the new larvae.
After attaching, these larvae form a hard shell and mature into what is called spat. Usually, around the first of October, when the spat reaches approximately one inch long, they are hand stripped and taken to shore. The spat are then de-clumped and sorted into size classes before being placed into mesh sleeves or tubes called “socks”. These socks are then transported back out to the farm waters and hand tied back onto the longlines.
Frequent observation of water columns with the use of an ROV like the DTG2 can ensure that there is proper nutrient flow, and regular development is taking place. As the crop grows, longlines get heavy and additional floatation must be added to keep the columns afloat, and away from the bottom of the ocean floor. The DTG2 ROV can assist in quickly determining how low lines are lying, how much and how often flotation should be strategically applied.
At this point, harvest ready longlines can contain upwards of 2 tons of mussels each. Determining buoyancy, watching for predators (such as seals who would make quick work of a mussel column), and observing overall growth patterns of mussels is constantly necessary.
Long-term and consistent monitoring of a mussel farm can be simplified by the introduction of a DTPod inspection camera which is designed for long-term observation in mind. With the ability to determine depth, temperature and be used as either a drop camera or permanently mounted, the continuous real-time data simplifies this stage of the farming cycle.
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