From the Bureau of Reclamation:
In an ecosystem as complex and altered as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, determining the abundance and distribution of native fish populations is a challenging undertaking.
Enter the Single-Platform Aquatic Species and Habitat Sampling System, or simply the Platform. Crafted from a reconfigured pontoon boat, the Platform provides a non-invasive way to monitor sensitive fish species without having to capture and handle them.
“The Platform can collect streaming images and associate them with environmental parameters in space and time, reducing take during estuary studies … and complementing existing monitoring efforts,” said Joe Merz, president and principal scientist with Cramer Fish Sciences in West Sacramento, during a recent online presentation.
The idea for the Platform emerged to improve our sampling methods for gathering data from shoals, shallow, heavily vegetated intertidal areas, and subtidal habitat, Merz said.
Click here to continue reading at the Bureau of Reclamation website.
