Marine ecology monitoring

VE ANZ are marine ecology specialists, with highly qualified marine scientists on staff and diverse project experience.

Our marine ecology expertise includes:

• Surveys and mapping of habitats, including coral reefs, mangrove, seagrass meadows, subtidal and intertidal soft sediment macroinvertebrate communities, rock reef communities, pelagic systems and more
• Surveys of fish communities, including visual surveys, spear fishing, line fishing, netting, clove oil capture, light trapping and observational/behavioural experience
• Marine invertebrate monitoring, including in- and epi-fauna for soft sediment, rocky reef and epiphytic habitats. Our staff includes highly qualified in-house taxonomists with international quality control training
• Zoo and phytoplankton community ecology
• Seagrass and marine macroalgae
• Marine pest incursions.

Mapping, modelling and reporting

We deliver high quality videos and stills. We also provide GIS habitat mapping and modelling, combining field-gathered, ground-truthed data and georeferenced photography with aerial and satellite imagery to produce bathymetric and integrated 2D and 3D maps.

We produce comprehensive reports on community ecology, including univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, correlations and associations among physical and chemical parameters, and assessment of environmental impacts.

Equipment and technology

Our other equipment and technology include:

• Several commercial in-survey vessels, operated by our in-house coxswains
• Scientific dive equipment, including underwater sampling and assessment tools
• Underwater still and video cameras, and underwater drone (ROV, or remotely operated vehicle)
• Benthic multiplatform sled tow (HD video, still images, multiparameter water measurements, depth, heading, position etc.)
• Fishing nets, including monofilament gill nets, seine nets, fyke nets, cast nets and phyto/zooplankton nets
• Baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVs)
• Sedimentation/erosion rate logging, wave logging
• Stainless steel benthic grab samplers of various sizes for sediment and infauna collection
• Side scan sonar for bathymetry surveys
• Laboratory facilities for taxonomy and image analysis, including fume hoods, stereo, and compound microscopes, and image analysis software.