The Full Picture

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Left image: MODIS Science Team, NASA/GSFC. Right image: Kobus Agenbag, Marine and Coastal Management, South Africa

A true-colour image of northwestern Australia, captured by the MODIS ocean

colour sensor on 2 July 2003. Commercial oyster farms are located in the

clear waters around Broome and the Buccaneer Archipelago. High sediment

loads, clearly visible in King Sound, are detrimental to the pearling industry

and can be monitored using MODIS data

Benguela upwelling

On the left is an example of a three-day composite chlorophyll image from the Benguela upwelling region off the coast of South Africa captured by the

MODIS ocean colour sensor. High chlorophyll concentrations along the coast are indicated in red/yellow, while areas of low chlorophyll are indicated in

blue. The image on the right shows the distribution of the mean annual catch of anchovy

Coastal sediments

Generally, we find that the ecological organization is

controlled by physical forces, such as currents and wind

patterns. In turn, it is frequently found that the spatial

extent of fishing stocks is related to the spatial patterns

depicted in a partition of the ocean into ecological

provinces. An excellent example is found in the

Benguela ecosystem off the west coast of South Africa,

which is driven by strong south-easterly winds that

induce upwelling of cold nutrient-rich water. This strong

coastal upwelling leads to high levels of primary produc-

tivity, which in turn supports the large commercial

fisheries in the area.

From the examples presented, it is clear that there is

enormous potential for EO to benefit society through

application to fisheries and aquaculture. However, such

applications are still in their infancy. To encourage and

coordinate, at the international level, the pursuit of

excellence in this field, the Canadian Space Agency has

agreed to fund the Societal Applications in Fisheries and

Aquaculture using Remotely-sensed Imagery (SAFARI)

programme in the context of GEO Task AG 06-02. This

programme will host an international coordination

workshop; highlight excellent demonstration projects

of EO in fisheries; produce a monograph on the state of

the art, develop an outreach component to increase

awareness of the value of EO in the fisheries and aqua-

culture sector, and convene an international symposium

on this timely topic.

All things considered, there is a promising and

exciting future for the application of EO to fisheries and

aquaculture, extending the ways that society can benefit

from investment in EO capacity.

can observe its seasonal modification in real time. Here again,

EO proves to be a very useful tool.

Source: MODIS Science Team, NASA/GSFC and the Remote Sensing and Satellite

Research Group, Curtin University, Australia

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