Is Redondo a Safe Site for Fish Research?

[Chevayea]

Hey, i received this question on my website and thought i would bring it to the group of you to get some input for him. Here's his question:

Hello, I am a graduate student (and fellow diver) at the University of Washington conducting scientific research on the movement of steelhead, salmon, sharks and other fishes in Puget Sound using transmitters implanted in the fish. We are considering placing a sensor (that detects fish with the transmitters) due west of the breakwater on the bottom. I know this is a popular dive site and I wanted to get your opinion if I labeled the sensor with "fish research", would divers leave the equipment alone? We are planning on running a ground line from the end of the breakwater 100 ft due west to an anchor with float that we attach the sensor to. We have permission of the Des Moines Harbormaster to attach to the breakwater, but I'm concerned about someone interfering or taking the sensor. Your feedback and any suggestions on safeguarding the equipment would be appreciated. Thank you.

[CaptnJack]

Redondo is not safe for very much... For my work we deploy rather expensive water quality instruments sometimes. We always hid them over relying on people to not screw with it based on a sign or note. The notes are our last resort "moral" deterent.

Thus, I would...
Install it without the support float advertising its whereabouts. Some boater will for sure mess with that. Use an UW line from e.g. the last piling supporting the docks to the sensor. Put a note on the line describing its purpose on the off-chance a diver is UW that far south. Basically its far better to hide equipment and use a small note describing its important purpose in case someone accidentally finds it than to make it easy to find in the first place and then hope nobody messes with it.

[Sounder]

Edit: I forgot the person who posted this here isn't the researcher. Perhaps referring the researcher to this site would help - I'd really enjoy hearing more about his/her research.


I was thinking something similar. On a recent dive my buddy and I came upon a NOAA underwater acoustic microphone and there was a note on it explaining what it was. Other than stumbling upon it, we would have never found it.

I would pick a new location and place it without advertising where it is and without marking it with line. Just put it somewhere you can get back to - use landmarks, GPS, compass heading/depth, etc. so that when you're ready to go get it, you can basically dive straight to it and do a minimal search if required.

I think putting a description, contact information, and a "thank you for not disturbing this" note on it, in a random location, in an unpopluar dive area, I bet you wouldn't have any issue at all.

Not knowing what your research involves I don't know whether this would work... but if placing it below recreational depths is an option you might consider doing that - I'm sure there are plenty of tech folks who would be glad to help place and recover it. You'd have even fewer people potentially "bumping into it" that way and could get some interesting data if you put it near a deep wreck or other deeper reef.

Tell us more about your research - what you're trying to accomplish, how your tagging is going to work, etc. I'm sure many people here would enjoy hearing more.

[CaptnJack]

I imagine the sensor needs to be fairly shallow as he/she is tracking juvenile salmonids. If the buoy was part of the original plan solely because they don't have a diver to hid it... I am willing to hid/place and retreive it for the student so the buoy can be skipped.

[Chevayea]

Edit: I forgot the person who posted this here isn't the researcher. Perhaps referring the researcher to this site would help - I'd really enjoy hearing more about his/her research.

Yep, I referred the researcher to this thread so he can see the comments. What if he went North or South of Redondo a ways? Those areas don't get the traffic that "the park" receives and may be more secure simply because less people would see it.

[Sounder]

I'd be willing to help with the placement and retreival as well - sounds like a fun project and I'm really interested in learning more about the research.

If he's following salmonids, would it be advised to place it near a fresh-water inlet or is a reef the right kind of place for it? I've got several location ideas for either.

I'd just do it in an area that people don't dive a lot and wouldn't put any indication of where it was from the surface or from running line underwater. There are plenty of techniques available to place and later locate/retreive something without running a bunch of trails to it.

[CaptnJack]

Smolts don't need freshwater anymore. There are eelgrass beds to the south of the boat ramp area that would be suitable for his/her sensor. Under the "breakwater" would be fine although a bit "unnatural". From Salty's pier north is the primary divesite and then privately owned so overall not so good.