Practical training at the Institute of Marine Research in 2024

Identifying vulnerable species on video imagery and estimate densities

Benthic video imagery has been collected in the fjords around Nordland and Troms with the help of ROVs, including imagery of so called vulnerable ecosystem indicator species such as sponges, corals and seapens. While poorly mapped, these species are often important for management decisions, for example in the process of establishment of marine protected areas around the coast of Norway. One of the research questions we hope to answer with the collected imagery is in which densities these species occur.

We have extensive video material of different quality, which needs to be assessed for density estimates. We need help going through the material, evaluate video quality and annotate (identify and count) videos for target species. Depending on the students’ interest and skills we can formulate this work into a small project, with the possibility for a more quantitative analysis of data. The student will learn identification of selected marine organisms from imagery, acquire software skills on image annotation, get to know and be integrated into the work environment at HI in Tromsø.

We expect a large degree of independence and an interest to learn new software – quantitative skills are also an advantage. We can currently only offer these placements to people willing to be based in Tromsø for the majority of their placement period.

Please remember to contact us directly to ensure availability - we are sometimes away for several weeks with cruises and conferences and want to make sure we can dedicate time to you.

Arbeidsted: HI Tromsø
Kontaktperson: Mona.m.fuhrmann@hi.no, FG Bentiske ressurser