dr snapper - capturing fish on camera
Managed to soak my DIY mini-BRUV camare trap in a small lake in Germany. Looks like a carp swam by to inspect that weird looking frame from a safe distance. Admittedly, although the bait ball was propped with more yummy bait, its presentation has to improve to become not just smelly, but also visually appealing.
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This is what drsnapper is about: developing and sharing an enthusiasm for discovery. Coupling two elements for a new purpose: a fishing rod and a baited underwater camera - for hook-less trophy shots. Casting a camera to wherever you expect some underwater life, taps into a desire to "catch" the unknown. And just what it does to an angler to reel in a fish, capturing an underwater trophy shot gives you a bit of a thrill, especially when you can review your “catch” instantly on a mobile device.
Here are some of my trophy shots from the last couple of years:
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!
At a rocky headland along the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales, I baited and deployed the drsnapper underwater camera trap (which is pretty much a BRUV – Baited Remote Underwater Video station with a mechanical trigger function). A wobbegong shark (Orectolobus spp., a species of carpet shark) seemed to show some interest in the bait odour (chopped mackerel) or at least it stayed about for a little while. I picked a pretty choppy day for it with a southerly blowing, so the drsnapper PVC frame contraption equipped with an underwater action camera (modified as prototype camera III) got moved around a fair bit. Although the bite of a wobbegong shark can be pretty nasty, it felt more like a pudel dog was circling around my legs than a shark.
The camera trial in Ireland (see post “Irish soaktime”, August 2018) finished before it started with prototype II soaking up some brine. It got pickled at depth on the first deployment. Something I had expected though, given the water pressure at the weak spot (where the trigger cables run through the epoxy coat of the housing) that it would leak some water. To compensate for the loss, I got given some footage to feature here. These are underwater images from a GoPro showing the escape of some fish through a 300 mm, squaremesh netting panel inside an otter trawl. A little bit unrelated to promoting drsnapper’s hook-less fishing concept, but at least some decent underwater footage of fish. The fate of at least one escapee was not very lucky being munched upon by a vessel-following harbour seal. Image courtesy: Martin Oliver, Galway, Ireland.
This week prototype I and II went for a hitch across the ditch to Galway, Ireland to ring in a field trial. More on it soon.
Finally, the test tank is up and running. My new friend is still a little camera shy when the lights go on, but there is some interest in the bait bag. There is more to come....stay tuned.
Created a nano test tank at home - this will become my little studio set up to test camera's and bait combinations with some stunt characters I will cast in straight from the North Sea. Current guests include the common starfish (Asterias rubens) and an edible crab (Cancer pagurus).
Testing whether various crustaceans are strong enough to pull the trigger. Kicking off this wee series with the common shore crab (Carcinus maenas), following later on will be an edible crab (Cancer pagurus) and finally a European lobster (Homarus gammarus). As bait, I will use a ground-up dough produced from fermented fishwaste to check how well these species will repond to its (hopefully) generous odour plume.
After the "field" trials were a little difficult to say the least, blaming that bulky frame and picky fish, I went back to the lab, just to prove the concept. Still no award-winning footage, I admit, but at least the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) do trigger short video sequences. They love a bait ball stuffed with fresh brown shrimps or cod chops. After their first greedy attacks, they become really wary though. All in all, the trigger worked well, and collected quite a few "trophy shots".
Thanks to Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food! All turbot were held for a research project approved by the Flemish Animal Ethics Commission.
In August 2017, I paid a visit to a fish farm in Northern Sweden. I was hoping that rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) would like to nibble on PhishPic's tasty bait ball. This time I rigged it with the Hugyfot Arius 1500 Divelight to turn on the spotlight. Check out the video below.
Turned out that rainbow trout were really camera shy. The bait ball filled to the brim with gooey pellet dough could not entice them at all. I know the whole rig still looks more like a BRUV (baited remote underwater video), but at least you can deploy it with a fishing rod. Liasing currently with a couple of talented engineers to realise my new, less bulky idea. So, watch this space in 2018. Happy New Idea!
