Using Remote Sensing Technologies to Inform and Improve Inland Fisheries Science and Management

Marine scientists and commercial fishers have embraced remote sensing technologies to predict distribution and productivity of fisheries based on surface chlorophyll, but applications in freshwater are lagging.  We will describe remote sensing capabilities acquired from air or space to describe watersheds, water quality, habitat, and angler effort in inland waters.  Images from satellites can be used to describe temporal changes in land cover within a watershed or water levels.  Satellites with color sensors can estimate surface water temperature, chlorophyll, and even primary production, although their spatial resolution (250 m² to 4 km²) can limit their application to larger lakes.  Remote sensing also can track infrequent water quality characteristics such as harmful algal blooms or turbidity plumes.  Lidar systems require ground- or air-based mounts that target specific regions, but can provide 3-D descriptions of physical structure at extremely high resolution (< 1 m²).  Finally, fishery managers can use readily available Google Earth images to explore fishing effort distribution and access point use.  With the broad spatiotemporal coverage these remote sensing tools offer, they enable scientists and managers to describe and predict inland fisheries production at scales not previously imagined.