Marine mammal interactions with trawl gear

Underwater video technology was used to observe marine mammal interactions (seals, in particular Australian fur seals) within midwater trawl nets.A camera system was placed inside the trawl net in the vicinity of a Seal Excluder Device, designed to prevent megafauna from entering the codend of the net and provide an escape point.Digital video data was described according to a range of operational, catch and interaction fields, and made time-specific to each trawl shot. Data is linked to commercial catch and effort data providing operational, environmental and catch information.