A review of some uses of remote sensing in fishery oceanography and management

The general need for environmental information to manage a fishery is reviewed. For marine fisheries of regional extent such as the tropical tunas and Peruvian anchoveta, measurements of environmental parameters such as sea surface temperature and the location of surface oceanic fronts tax the sampling capabilities of research vessels that are usually available for this purpose. The inclusion of additional data from commercial and fishing vessels, while greatly improving the spatial density of data, still may not be adequate to produce maps of surface properties on a daily or weekly basis. The various types of parameters that can be measured or derived from remote sensors (aircraft and spacecraft) are reviewed and some benefits and limitations of each are noted. Much of the processing of remotely sensed data requires access to computers, particularly data from spacecraft. Some new instrumental techniques are discussed including the use of Low Light Level camera systems from aircraft and Very High Resolution Radiometers (VHRR) from polar orbiting NOAA spacecraft.