Marine pests, such as the Asian green mussel, can hitch a ride to Australia on ships or other vessels. Once established, marine pests have impacts on Australia’s unique environment, economy and way or life. We need to constantly be on the lookout for marine pests, to stop their introduction and spread and subsea ROVs are the perfect tool for the job.
Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are emerging as a powerful new tool to detect introduced marine pests. These underwater drones can search for pests on the underside of ships, port infrastructure or in the natural environment.
Benefits of using subsea ROVs
- Humans are removed from potentially dangerous environments, improving workplace health and safety.
- Data captured by a subsea ROV can be stored and looked upon when required, removing the need for confirmation and follow up dives.
- Efficiency is increased thanks to subsea ROVs being able to stay at depths for hours at a time.
- Subsea ROVs can be equipped with a grabber, allowing samples to be taken from an area of interest.
Image: Deep Trekker