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During the HAJieutics Radar Experimentation' Medlterranean sea [I] (HAREM); conducted in August 1989 in the golfe du Lion off the western Mediterranean coast of Europe, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of the sea and lagoon surface and concurrent independent 'observations and measurements were collected in order to. test the potential of some applications of SAR imaging theories to halieutics. These theories [2], [4]-[6] have been developed to explain the SAR signal modulation in relationship with small variations of water roughness induced by internal wave or current or wind field variations. Analysis' of the HAREM data indicates, for the first time, that the marine surface life (here, tuna schools and marine mammals) and fishing activities (here, nets and fish traps) can generate aSAR signal modulation of comparable order of magnitude at the C•band (S.3 GHz). This has confirmed expectation for SAR, after. the preliminary experiment made in X•band (9.6 GHz). From the HAREM data, the results of satellite simulations, considering ERSI characteristics, are presented and show good promise for fishing activity surveys. This high sensitivity of SAR provides unique opportunities to obtain direct information on fishing and surface marine life activities in large survey areas. From that, we assume that the aerial SAR data and, under certain conditions, satellite SAR data may dramatically enhance and complement classical methods (statistics) used in fishery.management, the essential goal in halieutics.

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