Deep-Sea Drop Camera Technical Support Services for Offshore Research

1.0 Scope

1. 1 Title

Deep-Sea Drop Camera Technical Support Services for Offshore Research

Relevant Terms and Acronyms

CCG – Canadian Coast Guard

CCGS – Canadian Coast Guard Ship

DFO – Department of Fisheries and Oceans

EBSAs – Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas

VMEs – Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems – ecosystems that support corals, sponges and other structure-forming taxa

ROPOS- Remotely Operated Platform for Ocean Sciences

BOOTS – Bathyal Oceanographic Observation and Televideo System, also referred to as ‘drop camera’ in this document

1.2 Introduction

The purpose of this Contract is to support Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) offshore research using BOOTS (Bathyal Oceanographic Observation and Televideo System), a deep-sea drop camera that gathers and stores high definition still photographs and environmental data from depths of 300 to 2500m.

The camera system is used primarily to collect quantitative data on the distribution and abundance patterns of mid-water and benthic organisms (e.g., fishes, corals, sponges, and other invertebrates), environmental conditions at or near the seafloor (including oxygen concentration, salinity, temperature), substrate type (e.g., mud, sand, cobble, boulder, bedrock), and positional data (including altitude above seafloor, latitude, longitude, and depth).

1.3 Background

Through the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, Canada has committed to identifying the location and type of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) in international waters and the location of ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSAs) in domestic waters. The identification of VMEs and EBSAs requires the capacity to carry out underwater visual surveys of the seafloor and associated fauna and environmental conditions from a broad range of depths (down to approximately 2500m) across a broad range of latitudes and longitudes in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

Domestically, DFO is also developing monitoring plans for two marine protected areas, Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents and Bowie Seamount, and the area of interest around the Hecate Strait sponge reefs. Visual survey data down to depths of 2000-2500m are needed to map the distribution of indicator species and monitor their status over time. These data were collected in July and August 2017, by means of a custom-built drop camera system that is designed to operate to depths of 2500 m. Currently, DFO is limited in the resources (technical expertise, personnel time) required to deploy and maintain the drop camera system in the short to medium term. Contracted use of non-DFO remotely operated vehicles such as Remotely Operated Platform for Ocean Sciences (ROPOS) or staffed submersibles to gather the data needed for VME and EBSA identification and for monitoring the marine protected areas are cost-prohibitive.

This Standing offer is for a technical crew with experience in electronic and mechanical wiring of deep-sea equipment, to support the drop camera during its field data collection as well as assistance in mobilization and demobilization of the equipment from Canadian Coast Guard ships (CCGS) to DFO’s facilities at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, B.C. It is expected that the contractors conducting work through the Standing offer will work closely with DFO Science staff based at both the Institute of Ocean Sciences as well as the Pacific Biological Station, in Nanaimo, B.C.

2.0 Objective

The Objective of this requirement is to acquire the services of one (1) or two (2) technical consultants to assist DFO in the deployment, operation, software support and troubleshooting of the a DFO owned drop camera aboard DFO’s survey vessel or remotely from shore during planned survey periods.

The specific duration of an at-sea survey using the drop camera is dependent on available ship time, and is determined on a survey by survey basis.

3.0 Requirements

3.1 Tasks, Activities, Deliverables, and Milestones

The Contractor’s resources are responsible for the completion of services including, but not limited to the following. Not all services listed below will be required for every survey:

• Testing the Drop Camera and associated peripherals in the DFO’s workshop space at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, prior to deployment aboard the Coast Guard vessel;

• Terminating the Drop Camera to its winch at the winch maintenance facility located at the Institute of Ocean Science 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, BC, V8L 4B2, testing through tether communications, and sensor calibrations;

• Mobilizing and installing the drop camera onto the Coast Guard vessel from Nanaimo or Victoria;

• Setting up the drop camera with all the surface computers;

• Conducting on deck testing to ensure the camera and the readouts are working properly before the first deployment;

• Operating complex deep-sea equipment including deep-sea imaging equipment (video and still camera), CTD’s, altimeters and acoustic doppler current profiler that sends real-time imaging and navigation data through fiber optic equipped tethers;

• Monitoring and maintaining a written log of the drop camera’s voltage, current draw and ground fault monitoring systems, and pressure compensation systems while the camera is operating;

• Monitoring and maintaining a written log of the operation of the drop camera’s heave compensated winch, and communicating (in real time) with Science staff on acceptable limits for dynamic tension as reported by the winches internal sensors;

• Working in a marine environment (at sea for an extended period of time) including working in close quarters aboard a vessel;

• Completing up to 12-hour shifts to deploy, pilot, and retrieve the drop camera;

• Assisting with all mechanical and electrical troubleshooting and repairs on the drop camera during the Survey;

• Providing shore-based troubleshooting instruction to the DFO crew operating the camera for up to 12 hours per day; and

• Providing a final report following completion of the Survey on the current state of the camera with a section outlining any future repairs needed for the camera.

• May be asked to assist with shore side procurement or expediting of necessary parts and equipment required for troubleshooting.