Robots In Service of the Environment (RISE) joined deep ocean research charity, Nekton, on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic to test a prototype being developed to operate remotely in deep water to locate and deliver a fatal electric shock to the invasive species.
Nekton's research vessel was off the Bermudian coast conducting the XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey, a multi-disciplinary marine research programme aimed at assessing the health and resilience of the deep ocean.
RISE, a start-up born in the robotics industry, joined Nekton's team of scientists to observe how the lionfish reacted to the prototype electrical paddles which will deliver the current. Once the fish's behaviour is understood, the paddles will be connected to an underwater robot operated via video link. The carcasses can then be collected for disposal or sold at market.
The Lionfish Problem
The lionfish, whose Latin name is Pterois, is native to the Indo-Pacific. Artificially introduced by humans, it is estimated that there are more than one million off the coasts of Florida, Bermuda and throughout the Caribbean where they face no natural predators. And now the voracious species is being sighted increasingly in the Mediterranean.
Scientists are considering invasive species as part of the XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey research programme. "Lionfish populations are increasing in non-native waters at a disproportionate rate,” said Lucy Woodall, Nekton's science and logistics lead, from the University of Oxford. “Ecosystems suffer as lionfish devour the small fish leaving nothing for the other marine animals to feed on.”
"They also prey on herbivores who feed on reef algae ensuring their growth is kept in check,” Woodall added. “Without this crucial link, the algae growth smothers the coral, blocking sunlight which eventually kills the coral reef."
Bermuda is a leader in lionfish culling. Chris Flook, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Government of Bermuda, said: "Currently there isn't an effective way to conduct mass culling. We have spear fishers with special permits that catch lionfish on shallow reefs but lionfish survive at depths beyond the reach of recreational divers. "
For another example of using robots to solve environmental issues, read about Robot Missions developing a robotics platform to clean up Toronto Island.