We recommend the drop camera be deployed for a standard duration, with trials indicating five minutes bottom time allows any sediment suspended during the landing to settle, resulting in clear footage of the habitat. Shorter deployments may be sufficient for areas with limited sediment, and the ideal deployment length should be determined based on study objectives. Local fishing vessels fitted with trap retrieval equipment such as a swinging davit arm or a ‘pot-tipper’ and winch are ideal for deploying and retrieving both the stereo and mono-video systems, especially in deeper waters (Fig. 3). These vessels are usually suited to the local sea conditions, and the involvement of experienced commercial skippers may provide valuable logistical and local knowledge. Due to the weight of the stereo-system with weights attached (~50 kg), we strongly encourage the engagement of commercial fishers and deckhands who are experienced at deploying weighted traps and their expertise will be beneficial and likely result in better Occupational Health and Safety outcomes. A field deployment checklist is provided in Supporting Information 2.
Figure 4. Lighter weight mono-configuration wide-field drop camera system being deployed by hand (left) and stereo-configuration wide-field drop camera system deployed from a commercial fishing vessel fitted with a ‘pot tipper’ (right).