Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) has released a video featuring Acadia University’s Haley Viehman who explained the basics of fish monitoring at FORCE’s tidal energy test site.
Fish data gathering was conducted using the FAST-3 monitoring platform, deployed in the Minas Passage early in February 2017.
The platform is equipped with a suite of sensors, including an acoustic zooplankton and fish profiler, and an autonomous scientific echo sounder, to gather data on fish presence and behavior to assess their potential interactions with in-stream tidal turbine.
Haley Viehman said: “What I’m hoping to do with this information is to look at the depths that are naturally used by the fish, how that overlaps with tidal turbine, and how the abundance of fish changes over time at this site, looking for any potential turbine effects. Once we know how fish naturally move through the area, we can predict how likely it is that fish might interact with these devices, and potentially, what the effects might be.”
Results gathered by the FAST-3 platform are expected to help FORCE identify the best sensor settings and operating schedule for future data collection at demonstration sites in Canada’s Bay of Fundy.