NASA, the
Fisherman’s Friend
Consumer/Home/Recreation
Originating Technology/ NASA Contribution
Every angler has his secrets, whether it be an old
family recipe for stink bait, a midnight worm-hunting
ritual, or the most coveted of all, the no-fail
fishing hole. Most of these secrets are lore and
legend, passed through generations, and coveted
more than the family’s best tableware. Each of
these kernels of wisdom promises the fisherman
a bite at
the end of the line, but very few are rooted in fact
and science.
There is one, though....
NASA partnered with a company on the bayous of Mississippi
and Louisiana to use satellite data to create a marine
information system, a space-age fish finder.
This product provides up-to-date information about
the location of a variety of fish, including yellowfin
tuna, bluefish, blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish,
blackfin tuna, little tunny, and swordfish. The system
shows peaked catch rates, and may be the only true
fish-finding product on the market.
Partnership
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This easy-to-read display
can be broadcast directly to an onboard computer,
telling the boat’s captain exactly where to go
to catch the most fish. |
Digital Media, Inc. (DMI), teamed with fellow Gulf
Coast native, NASA’s Stennis Space Center, through
Mississippi’s Space Commerce Initiative and tapped
into a wealth of satellite imagery and weather-forecasting
tools essential for guiding a successful fishing
trip.
DMI is a television production company specializing
in videos for outdoor enthusiasts, including broadcasts
on hunting, shooting, golfing, camping, local attractions,
and of course, fishing. Recently, they have focused
energy and attention on geospatial products for the
broadcast industry.
Product Outcome
The DMI fish-finding service combines remote sensing
data with proprietary software and can provide information
about the entire coastal United States, the Gulf
of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. In
the past, marine informational services have been
isolated to specific geographic regions.
DMI collects satellite information about water surface
temperature, temperature gradients, water clarity,
and depth, then uses a mathematical algorithm originally
developed and tested by the National Marine Fisheries
Service that accurately identifies conditions where
bait fish are likely to congregate. Using Global
Positioning System coordinates, DMI can direct fishing
parties straight to these spots. According to DMI
owner Vincent Phillips, this “is the only service
to include the three primary pieces of the puzzle
that are necessary to accurately pinpoint the concentrations
of sportfish and their associated forage.”
The fish-finding service merges the water temperature,
turbidity data, and the proprietary algorithm into
an easy-to-read printout. Fishermen can purchase
this readout as a daily forecast, a seasonal product,
or an annual subscription. According to Phillips,
“Marine information of this type traditionally has
been very expensive and consequently used by the
few who could afford it.” This service, however,
is a fraction of the price of other
fish-finding services, and the only one to offer
the complete picture.
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Although the fish-finding
service takes the guesswork out of the trip,
the angler will still have other challenges to
reckon with. |
The service provides 24-hour access to images and
text of marine information. The images are available
via Internet in full color or in black and white
for facsimile transmission, and a fisherman or boat
captain can have a fishing map sent directly to the
deck of his boat. These images are not only for the
experienced fisherman, though; the readouts are clear
enough that even the novice fisherman should be able
to decipher them.
Fishermen who use the fish-finding service save time
and money. Since they know where the fish are, they
need only motor out to the exact location. It would
normally take hours of guesswork to tool around on
the water trying to find a productive location for
fishing. Fishermen drop the line, wait, drop the
line, wait, and then move to the next spot. This
wastes valuable fish catching time, and with the
prices of commercial fishing ventures and gasoline
considered, this advent saves everyone money,
as it reduces the time that the boat is being operated
unproductively. The saved fuel has obvious environmental
benefits.
This product appeals to a wide variety of marine
interests, and it has found users among sportsmen,
commercial fishermen, sailors, divers, charter boat
captains, and private boaters. DMI also provides
printouts to special interest groups, including saltwater
tournament competitors and marine researchers conducting
experiments with tideland, near-shore, and deep water
conditions.
Broadcast and print media can also subscribe to these
services and then provide general maps to accompany
their weather reports. This product shows viewers
general trends in their locations, and is a great
tool to encourage involvement by locals and visitors
alike in coastal activities, events, and sports.
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