*This post was originally uploaded on June 2nd, 2019 on a website that has since been deleted. Posts from that website will be re-uploaded here at a later date.
The team had a busy couple of months. We were down in Costa Rica for one week in
June and one week in July. Due to issues with the motors on the Trident, we weren't able to run the ROV in July, but we did get some footage in June that we finally put together into a video to share with you guys.
Like we have touched on before, the goal of using the ROV is to try and survey the types and quantities of baitfish that are found on seamounts and FADs off the coast of Costa Rica. These schools of baitfish support many larger fish, like the blue marlin and sailfish our research focuses on, but also things like sharks, bigger tunas and dorado, marine mammals like dolphins and porpoises, etc. While we have not yet begun to quantify the amount of baitfish we have surveyed from the videos, we are able to see changes in diversity.
Most of the schools of baitfish we have observed have consisted of three main species: yellowfin tuna and black skipjacks, and rainbow runners. On this dive, we observed a new species with the ROV, a few small Dorado (Mahi Mahi).
Check out the video, which also includes some night dive footage again, and let us know if you have any questions!