ABSTRACT
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) utilizes image processing in its remote sensing studies of living marine resources. Occasionally, thermal images of sea surface temperatures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) geostationary weather satellite are used in fisheries applications, although ground resolution restricts their uses. NMFS observers, placed aboard Japanese long line Bluefin and yellowfin tuna fishing vessels in the 1978 fishing season in the Gulf of Mexico, compared vessel locations with selected physical parameters and satellite-measured ocean thermal and color characteristics. Historical mean monthly temperatures suggested strong horizontal temperature gradients at or near the estimated hook depths during tuna long line fishing. Locations and approximate sizes of menhaden schools were reported by spotters in fixed-wing aircraft, fishing vessel operators, and investigators aboard research vessels. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer satellite imagery was used by NMFS to determine the boundaries of the Mississippi River plume for purposes of locating ichthyloplankton sampling stations.
