No abstract

Soft-shelled lobsters pose economic challenges to the lobster industry due to low meat yields and survivability during holding and transportation. Our objectives were to describe spatio-temporal patterns of soft-shelled lobsters in southwestern Nova Scotia, and identify environmental and lobster-related factors associated with shell quality. We analyzed data obtained from a broad-scale, intensive monitoring project and remotely sensed water temperatures. Mixed-effect logistic regression and linear regression methods analyzed more than 130 000 samples collected between 2004 and 2014. The annual overall prevalence of soft-shelled lobsters ranged from 9% to 38% and varied significantly among fishing areas. Shell quality was influenced by sex and size, and in the 2 months before the fishing season, lower water temperatures (4-6 weeks prior to sampling) were associated with reduced prevalence of soft-shells. High annual variability of soft-shell prevalence, that water temperature alone could not explain, suggests that adjusting fishing seasons, arbitrarily, in two fishing areas will not improve the overall shell quality of landed lobsters. Further research is needed to evaluate the effects of long-term temperature and ecosystem changes on lobster health in eastern Canada.

This case

This paper presents a 3D graphic interface for the inspection of cracks along a dam. The monitoring of concrete dams is restricted by the accessibility of the various parts of the structure. Since the upstream face of a dam is not usually exposed, as in our case at Hydro-Qudbec, systematic and even ad hoc inspection become extremely complex. The piloting of a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) underwater is like driving in a snowstorm. The view from the camera is similar to the visibility a driver would have in a snowstorm. Sensor fusion has to be performed by the operator since each sensor is specialized for its task. Even with a 2D positioning system or sonar scan, the approach to the inspection area is very tedious. A new 3D interface has been developed using augmented reality since the position and orientation of the vehicle are known. The point of view of the observer can easily be changed during a manipulation of the ROV. A shared memory based server can access the position data of the ROY and update the graphics in real time. The graphic environment can be used as well to drive the ROY with computer generated trajectories. A video card will be added to the Silicon Graphics workstation to display the view of the camera fixed to the ROY. This visual feedback will only be available when the ROY is close enough to the dam. The images will be calibrated since the position of the camera is known. The operator interface also includes a set of stereoscopic cameras, hydrophonic (sound) feedback and imaging tools for measuring cracks.

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