TOWED VIDEO CAMERA-Scientific Context
In the field, the comparison between oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor sites requires the description of habitats and communities. Although a myriad of measuring devices exist, none is better than the human eye to gauge the environments and sampling problems faced by scientists. In order to obtain this qualitative information, a team from the Maurice Lamontagne Institute (MLI) designed a simple, low cost, towed underwater video system that can withstand the conditions found at 350 m below the surface, including rough terrain, total darkness and high pressuree.

A first deployment was done on July 4, 1999 off Les Escoumins by towing the system on the bottom in 312 meters of water. These first results were convincing and these images showed a silt bottom covered with brittle stars, anemones, crabs and fish. The following week saw a series of successful tows that provided good video sequences of the bottom in most areas of the Saguenay fjord between Tadoussac and Ville La Baie. Since these first tryouts, lighting and towing techniques have been improved but the system remains simple and low cost, being built from readily available commercial components that can be easily replaced.