Conservation

Report on the Guatemala Billfish Satellite Logbook Program and Installations

Prepared by:
Mark Fitchett
and
Nelson M. Ehrhardt, PhD
University of Miami
Rosential School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
Marine Biology and Fisheries
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
Miami, FL 33149

May 11, 2010

Installations

  • Installations began April 19, 2010 immediately upon arrival into Guatemala.
  • Vellels with installed units include the Rum Line (captained by Chris Sheeder) and Finest Kind (captained by Ron Hamlin).
  • Finalized installations on April 20, 2010 - each vessel took approximately 5 hours.
  • Installations carried our by Gary Morgan (CLS America) with the help of Casa Vieja staff, Mark Fitchett and Jorge.
  • Installations include a 1) CLS Thorium LRIT satellite antenna 2) wiring from satellite antenna leading to 3) a "junction box" that retrieves and processes information 4) a Windows-based computer and 5) a military-specification monitor.
  • Installation procedures included the least invasive and compromising procedures.

Rum Line Installation:


Figure 1 - Gary Morgan of CLS America installs the satellite antenna for the Rum Line at the highest accessible point on the vessel.


Figure 2 - CLS Thorium LRIT antenna for the Rum Line along the starboard side of the observation tower.

Installation on the Rum Line was successfully fulfilled by mounting a CLS Thorium LRIT satellite antenna on the starboard side of the observation tower, above the radar unit and blow the GPS unit- but offset to the starboard side such that it would not interfere with other operating electronic equipment while having an unobstructed view of the sky. Wiring from the antenna (pictured abov) was externally laid along poling from the tower above the helm. Wiring was not internally set inside the metal poling because there was simply no space due to other electronics ulitizing this pole. However, wiring was inconspicuously cable-tied and lead towards the helm console. The junction box and computer unite were installed together using industrial-strength Velcro. The monitor unite was installed to the right side of Rum Line's main conole using a mounting bracket arm. A support backing cut from marine board was necessary for the inside of the console (to protect the integrity of the console) when bolting the mounting bracket arm flush to the surface.

Finest Kind Installation:


Figure 3 - CLS Thorium LRIT antenna mounted at the top of the observation tower

Installation onboard the Finest Kind was much simpler and this vessel had a helm console configuration that allowed for a minimally invasive installation. The CLS Thorium LRIT satellite antenna was mounted on the fore side on top of the observation tower (Figure 3) at its highest point for an unobstructed view of the sky and in a position that would not interfere with the transmission of other navigational electronics. Wiring from the satellite antenna was cable tied and run along a port-side support frame poling (Figure 4) and then inserted inside poling (Figure 5) where wiring is lead into forward console and starboard gunwale. Wiring is then lead into the Finest Kind helm console inside the steering column and electronics panel. A junction box (Figure 6) and the MS Windows-operated computer (Figure 7) are installed inside the helm console, with the junction box on the starboard side and computer unite on the port side.


Figure 4 - Wiring from CLS Thorium LRIT satellite is run alongside aluminum frame poling


Figure 5 - Wiring is inserted into frame poling where it is lead into the console and along the gunwales towards the helm console.

Figure 6 - The CLS system junction box installed on the starboard side inside the helm console.

Figure 7 - The MS Windows operated computer unite installed inside the port side of the helm console. This computer unite processes data - both outgoing and received. The computer unite was installed immediately below the electronics panel.

Once the junction box and computer units were installed and connected to power sources, a military-specification touch screen monitor is then flush mounted on marine board above the Finest Kind's electronics panel (Figure 8).

Figure 8 - Flush-mounted system monitor illuminated aboard the Finest Kind.

System Operation

The CLS electronic logbook system was tested successfully on an overnight trip aboard Ron Hamlin's vessel, Finest Kind coinciding with Chris Sheeder's Rum Line. Vessel tracks and data uploads were successfully read.

Figure 9 - Logbook system homepage on the monitor.

The system operates from a homepage (Figure 9) which serves as a logbook page for the captain to view past events - raises, bites and catches for any given fishing event at a particular logged locality (lat/lon). Each event is defined when a captain enters a given number of "raised" fish at a particular locality. During this event there will be subsequent number of bites and caught fish. An event may also be defined as any non-fishing event such as when the captain locates and logs longlines, dolphins or turtles. By pressing "New Declaration" the captain may select a fishing mode and log a new event.

Figure 10 - Screen prompting a fishing mode selection.

A fishing mode is selected among the options: flyfishing, conventional bait and lures. Once a fishing mode is selected, the system can stand by until the captain encounters fish or longlines. Once he makes an encounter, he may select species or log the location of longlines:

Figure 11 - Screen prompting species encounter, status and submission of data.

Once a species is selected, the screen will prompt a query for the number of raises. As soon as the captain enters the number of raised fish - another query prompts the captain for bites with a following query for catch. At any given time during the fishing encounter, the captain may stand by by until he knows or sure the number of bites and catches for the number of fish he raised. Additionally, by pressing "cancel" (as seen in Figure 11), he may cancel the event or go back to re-log the number of raises. If the captain has a finite number of bites and catch for those initial raised fish, he may enter that information and press the "Submit" button on the screen. However, it is important to note that for every time he submits an event, it will only log ONE SINGLE latitude and longtitude. For that reason, it is important for the captain to log and submit ALL encounters with raised fish as often as possible rather than submit all raises and bites which may cover a larger spatial area and could create bias in data analysis.

Figure 12 - Mapping of vessel tracks fom MyData internet login

Vessel track and history may be mapped online by assessing the MyData webpage: https://mydata.cls.fr/iwp/Main.do and logging in.

High resolution oceanographic data is made available by a software package called THEMIS. This software may layer catch and fishery data on top of oceanographic data and maps. THEMIS is developed by CLS International and has a comprehensive database for ocean and climate data utilizing Iridium satellite technology, a world leader in satellite data retrieval. Additionally, the resolution of this data is much greater than commonly used public domain data. Data that is available through THEMIS includes critical variables such as: sea surface temperature, altimetry, thermocline depth, water color and water clarity.

THEMIS has been utilized worldwide for fishery management. For example, THEMIS is currently used by ICCAT scientists for data analysis in its comprehensive bluefin tuna fishery vessel monitoring program in the East Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea internationally mandated for all vessels over 24 meters.

This year, 2010, CLS is building a THEMIS server and uplink center in Guatemala City, Costa Rica, Belize and Panama City. Each of these locations will have a data server, an ocean data server and a web server to transmit data electronically to the University of Miami, Guatemalan officials or any user group with authorized and consensual access. The proximity to our Guatemala Billfish Research program will be extremely advantageous for data assimilation. Additionally, CLS will install a data server at the University of Miami and train Mark Fitchett in the use of THEMIS for ocean data analysis coupled with spatial fishery data made available through the electronic logbook program.

THEMIS will also have a portable, reduced, yet more user-friendly counterpart called "THEMIS Lite." THEMIS Lite, while not carrying all scientific capabilities, will be utilized by fleet managers (such as Jim Turner) to manage boats based on ocean data and spatial distribution of his fleet. This could be extremely valuable in advising clients and the fleet as to when and where they should fish.

Data Assimilation

THEMIS utilizes satellite imagery and ancillary oceanographic data to develop enhanced mapping capabilities of ocean and fishery data.

Altimetry: Ehrhardt and Fitchett (2006) discovered that mean sea level (MSL) altimetry data to be a proxy for habitat compression, a natural phenomenon conducive to high densities of billfish in the region. Figure 13 depicts the THEMIS capabilities of mapping vessel tracks on ocean altimetry data, using data from April 26, 2010 when both the Finest Kind and Rum Line were fishing.

Figure 13 - April 26, 2010 tracks on THEMIS altimetry data, catch is yellow and circles.

The quality of data offered through the THEMIS program is exceptionally better and higher resolution than public domain data previously made available (Figure 14).

Figure 14 - Public domain satellite altimetry data for the coastal Guatemalan region on April 25, 2010, provided through NOAA Pacific Fisheries Environmental Lab.

Sea Surface Temperature (SST):

Figure 15 - Sea surface temperature, April 26, 2010, with vessel tracks and circled catch.

The presence of sea surface temperature over 31° C with the lack of large scale oceanographic features is indicative of El Niño phenomena that drastically impede the local densities of sailfish in the region.

2010 El Niño?:

Figure 16 - SST images from public domain from April 25, 2010 (above) and from April 25, 2005 (below) when recorded catch rates were much higher in April

The oceanographic features and the parceling of the coastal warm and cool temperature zones along the Central American coast resulting from coastal upwelling is indicated by the 2005 map in Figure 16. Figure 16 contrasts a 2005 with the 2010 map on the same day. The image from 2010 shows a complete lack of water temperature gradients adjacent to the Mexico/Guatemala border. The apparent lack of oceanographic features is typically a resultant of El Niño. The 2010 SST map, although in different scale from the 2005 map, shows a stagnant large expanse of warm water through the entire region.

THEMIS also offers the user the ability to look at transect of water temperature at depth (Figure 17). At present, a transect from the coast of Guatemala outward shows a thermocline depth near 75m depth (Figure 17). During non-El Niño years, thermocline depth in the region varies from 50m in the summer and surfaces above 25m depth. The thermocline is an important metric for habitat compression because it often coincides with the mixes-layer and O2 minimum zone that in effect is the vertical limit for survivable vertical habitat for pelagic fish like billfish.

Figure 17 - A screenshot from THEMIS selecting a transect following the vessel track of the Rum Line (encircled) of 20 miles and the subsequent temperature-at-depth profile. In this image, it appears that thermocline is at 18° C loacated at about 75 m depth - seen at the yellow line in the inserted figure.

Other Oceanographic Data products:

Figure 18 - Oceanic water color April 26, 2010 with vessel tracks and catch (encircled) in yellow.

Figure 19 - Surface currents April 26, 2010 with vessel tracks and catch (encircled) in yellow.

Figure 20 - Geostrophic currents April 26, 2010 with vessel tracks and catch (encircled).

Water color (Figure 18) is often a metric for water clarity and amount of suspend particulate matter in the water column. Since billfish are sight-predators in addition to other keen sensory capabilities, water color is likely an important vavriable. Surface currents (Figure 19) and geostrophic currents (Figure 20) are useful in identifying frontal movements that may be indicative of prey movement and retention.

It is extremely important to note that due to the data collection which is late in the 2009-2010 fishing season, prominent oceanographic features that elicit high densities of billfish are absent. Furthermore, the El Niño nature of the 2010 Eastern Pacific Oceanography has contributed to the lack of typical ocean features and most like to the lesser-than-normal catch rates.

Special Thanks to Antonion Valdez, Jim Turner, Tim Choate, Casa Vieja staff, Gary Morgan (CLS America) and Michael Kelly (CLS America).