Chapter 6- Conservation and Aquatic Life Studies
Conservation and Aquatic Life Studies
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FIGURE 6-1. A slate will be necessary to record your findings on an aquatic life study dive.
about habitats, and a thermometer is useful. A dive watch
allows activities to be coordinated and findings to be
keyed to time.
A dive light is helpful for peering into dark places
and allowing colors to be observed. Many colors in the
spectrum are removed from natural light by absorption.
The deeper the depth, the more colors are absorbed until
only blue or violet light remains. By providing artificial
light in close proximity, the colors of an object in deep
water can be seen.
Collecting equipment such as nets, collecting guns,
traps, collecting bags, and tagging equipment may be
called for. One type of collecting gun is the “slurp gun,”
which is a vacuum-type plastic tube that “slurps” animals
into a chamber.
An underwater camera can be a useful tool to the
research diver. A picture can literally be worth a thousand
words when documenting animal behavior or habitat
(figure 6-2). You will learn more about underwater
cameras and photography in the chapter on the topic
later in the book.
When a large area needs to be surveyed, a diver’s
sled or a Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) may be used
to allow systematic searching at speeds faster than those
possible by swimming. A DPV is a battery-operated
FIGURE 6-2. For underwater research and study, a picture can be
worth a thousand words.
device with a motor and a propeller that the diver holds
onto or rides (figure 6-3). Another device for surveying
large areas is a diver’s sled, sometimes referred to as an