The Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) is a globally renowned scientific program, running from 2015–2025, aimed at producing new information in almost all disciplines of marine science, while promoting collaboration and capacity development among partners within the Indian Ocean. As part of this effort, in 2017 and 2018, the South African polar and research vessel, the SA Agulhas II, conducted regional training surveys in the waters of Mozambique, Tanzania, and the Comoros. The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) led these expeditions to survey both continental shelf and deep-water environments and train individuals from various organisations within the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) in a number of marine related disciplines (physical oceanography, chemistry, biological oceanography, marine geology, benthic biodiversity, marine top predators and marine plastics). Participants in the benthic biodiversity team were exposed to traditional and innovative research methodologies, with a special emphasis on benthic camera systems.

Since the 1980s, the use of underwater photography in benthic habitats has increased our understanding of their ecology by enabling the collection of descriptive and statistically robust data from shallow and deep (>200 m) habitats (for a review see Durden et al. 2016). Photographic evaluations of marine assemblages are now an essential research tool utilised by scientists and industry, with its non-destructive nature making it particularly useful for work in protected and/or inaccessible areas. Despite the increasing use of camera systems to explore the marine environment, there remains a clear need to train more candidates from institutes within the WIO in the use and utility of this technology to ensure robust data collection, analysis and management.

The main goal of the Regional Benthic Imagery Workshop, hosted by the DFFE and sponsored by WIOMSA through its Marine and Coastal Management Programme, was to provide information and training on the use of underwater imagery platforms to better understand and document benthic invertebrate communities and, where applicable, simultaneously sample fish assemblages.

The Regional Benthic Imagery Workshop was held between August 30 to September 3 2021, led by the DFFE in partnership with Iziko South African Museum, SAIAB (National Research Foundation - South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity), SAEON (National Research Foundation - South African Environmental Observation Network), SANParks (South African National Parks), ORI (Oceanographic Research Institute), Nekton Foundation, UKZN (the University Of Kwazulu-Natal), UCT (the University of Cape Town), UWC (the University of the Western Cape), the University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania, the University of Comoros, University of Oxford and Bielefeld University Germany. Scifest Africa (South Africa’s National Science Festival) (https://www.scifest.org.za/) hosted the webinar platform and provided technical support. Lessons, practical demonstrations, and discussion sessions (Table 1) were delivered via a Zoom webinar platform in both English and French. The event was also broadcast live on WIOMSA’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/wiomsa/). The inclusion of poll questions (inserted as endnotes) allowed participants to actively participate throughout the week and provided helpful information for gauging the degree of understanding of the various topics and specific session content*1.

The online workshop drew 266 participants from 21 countries, predominantly from within the WIO region but including a small percentage from neighbouring and affiliated countries (Fig. 1, Table 2). The majority of the presenters were from South Africa, while several researchers from the UK and Germany also participated. The proportion of male and female attendees was nearly equal (49% and 45% respectively, 6% attendees did not specify) (Table 2) and encompassed students (majority post graduate), interns, technicians, researchers and lecturers across a number of different career stages (Table 3).

Figure 1.  

A map of the representative countries, of which 231 out of the 266 participants (i.e. 87%) were from the Western Indian Ocean. Source: L Williams, DFFE.

Introduction

The first session offered an introduction to benthic invertebrates, their importance, and case studies from the WIO. Initial findings of the IIOE-2 expeditions in 2017 and 2018 considered the collection, preservation, cataloguing, and preliminary identification of benthic specimens utilizing a quality-assured workflow (Fig. 2). A WioBenth (https://www.wiomsa.org/ongoing-project/wio-wio-benth-identification-characterization-and-vulnerability-assessment-of-benthic-ecosystems-in-the-wio/) presentation focused on the identification, characterization, and vulnerability assessment of benthic ecosystems, with emphasis on shelf and upper slope habitats.

Figure 2.  

Specimen plate of benthic invertebrates collected via dredge sampling on the IIOE-2 expeditions of 2017/2018. Shown here are a diverse range of taxa - Crustacea, Bryozoa, Brachiopoda, Porifera, Cnidaria, Echinodermata and Mollusca.

Survey design

Data collection using benthic camera systems

Session 3 explored the suite of options available to collect marine benthic imagery (e.g. Drop-cameras, SCUBA, Baited Remote Underwater Video surveys (BRUVs), Towed Camera, Remotely Operated Vehicles - ROVs, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), and submersibles), which differ in technical complexity, cost, and the expertise required to deploy them (Fig. 3). Each of these methods come with their own advantages and limitations, and ultimately trade-offs between cost, time, required taxonomic resolution, and spatial coverage have to be made on a project-by-project basis. Lessons demonstrated how research objectives determine both the operational mode, i.e. exploring, searching, mapping, or monitoring, as well as the camera platform used, as these decisions will underpin the knowledge base required to effectively manage and conserve marine benthic environments*3. Gathering environmental data to validate and supplement visual data was also covered. In addition, step-by-step training videos providing detailed examples of the operation of frequently used benthic camera systems were a highlight of this event. The videos detailed how to set up, deploy and operate the camera systems, and included pre- and post- deployment protocols (Haupt et al. 2021, von der Meden et al. 2021).

Figure 3.  

Increasing complexity and cost of visual sampling equipment; the operational requirements for deployment of the equipment, from small craft to large research vessels; and the technical and legal requirements for operators. Photographic credit (Left to Right): Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (South Africa); Jeanne Mortimer (Island Conservation Society, Seychelles); 3) South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB); 4) South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON); 5) SAIAB; 6) Nekton.

Data processing and analysis

BRUV Sampling

Data management

Discussion sessions

The success of the workshop is evident in the feedback from attendees captured in an online evaluation form (Fig. 4). On a scale of excellent, good, fair, or poor, the event received many excellent ratings for the overall delivery (64% excellent ratings), content quality (49%), lesson format (41%), and organisation and structure (61%). When asked to answer yes, no, or maybe, positive responses were received for the effectiveness of the question and answer plus discussion sessions (~ 94%) and the step-by-step training videos (75%). Ninety-five percent of attendees were motivated to work in, or continue working in, the field of underwater imaging, and 65% were confident in their ability to establish a new research project using the information and skills learned.

Figure 4.  

Workshop success, as gauged from the feedback captured in an online evaluation form.

The outcomes:

• An internationally attended regional workshop that reached a far wider audience than the original in-person event proposed prior to Covid-19 (i.e. 266 as opposed to only 20 attendees),
• Attendees suitably trained by experts on all the steps required to conduct underwater imagery-based work, and to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to research. In addition to increasing awareness of the value and relevance of this methodology, the training also emphasized how to minimize the technique's shortcomings by employing taxonomy and collections as a verification tool,
• An online training resource - A YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3FT8SyYif6X_b1s4zchgog/videos) with all the session recordings is freely available online. This digital legacy has the potential to reach many more marine researchers both regionally and globally,
• The production of step-by-step training videos covering the use of three camera systems - Drop-camera, Towed-camera and BRUVs - available in English and French. These can be used for teaching purposes in addition to being a first step in standardizing techniques among WIO institutes, and
• A gathering of specialists in the subject, and initiation of a network for benthic-image-based research within the WIO and beyond.

Based on questions from attendees, particularly post-graduates and young researchers within the WIO, an evident need exists for the continued development of sampling guidelines and best practice protocols, as well as locally relevant species identification resources and image databases. Attendee’ questions emphasized their eagerness to apply, or enhance existing use of, image-based methodologies in their work. Overall, the wide range of questions raised not just an optimistic perspective for regional marine science, but also demonstrated that many individuals are interested in how to do the finest and most effective research.

An ongoing effort is being made to process and analyze the IIOE-2 images/video and environmental data from 2017 and 2018 with the assistance of specialists identified regionally (South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Comoros) and internationally, with the goal of producing a specimen occurrence and image observation database. All this while continuing to form and strengthen partnerships, as well as build on the momentum established during this workshop. In this way, the lack of resources and infrastructure required to utilise underwater imagery can be seen as an opportunity for promoting collaboration and innovation within the region.

We would like to extend our gratitude to WIOMSA and the MASMA programme for granting us the opportunity to host the Regional Benthic Imagery Workshop by supporting and funding the project. Principle Investigators, Dr Christopher Muhando and Dr Twalib Kithakeni from the University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania, as well as Bibiana Nassongole from Universidade Lúrio (Lurio University) Mozambique, are sincerely thanked for their overall involvement in the IIOE2 project: An exploration of the benthos off Mozambique, Tanzania and the Comoros Islands: Diversity, Spatial Variability and Distribution. This Regional workshop was a multi-institutional effort, and we are grateful to our colleagues for their efforts and contributions, from: the DFFE - Dr Gerhard Cilliers, Marco Worship, Brandon Beukes and Steven McCue; Iziko Museums of South Africa - Albe Bosman and Ntombi Fikile; NRF-SAIAB - Willem Coetzer; SANParks - Sisanda Mayekiso, ORI - Dr Sean Fennessy; and the Biodata mining group at Bielefeld University Germany - Prof. Tim Nattkemper and Martin Zurowietz. The team at Sci-Fest Africa were instrumental in the execution of the workshop and we thank Ryan Bruton and the technical support team for their efforts in the months leading up to and including the week-long virtual event. The local film companies OCTOPI-AFRICA (Ltd) and Array Media (Ltd) are thanked for the production of the training videos. We are also thankful to Elsabe Van Rensburg for her administrative support. The workshop would not have been possible without our audience and we extend our gratitude to the particpants for attending and engaging with us throughout the event.