Baited Remote Underwater Video











The BRUV method

Stereo Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV or SBRUV) is a standard method used to survey fish and habitats worldwide. The BRUV method has several advantages over other methods of sampling fish communities, in that it is efficient, standardised, non-destructive, and generally less species- and size-selective. The video footage becomes a permanent record of the habitat and biological community.

A BRUV unit comprises a metal frame, two video cameras in special housings, lights, and a long arm with a bait cannister.

The team at Sea Through Science has extensive experience with using underwater video methods across the world, including at the Galapagos Islands1,2, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Rangitāhua/Kermadec Islands, the Poor Knights and Mokohinau Islands, all over the Hauraki Gulf3,4, and Fiordland. Adam co-authored the guide to the BRUV method5 and publications in Nature6 and Science7 as part of the Global FinPrint project.

Our BRUVs in the media

Kermit the Kermadec Island great white

An expedition to the Southwest Pacific

A global study of shark populations

Newshub: Sharks ‘functionally extinct’ at many coral reefs around the world

The Conversation: Sharks are thriving at the Kermadec Islands, but not the rest of New Zealand, amid global decline

References

1.
Smith, A. N. H. et al. Instantaneous vs. Non-instantaneous diver-operated stereo-video (DOV) surveys of highly mobile sharks in the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Marine Ecology Progress Series 649, 111–123 (2020).
2.
Acuña-Marrero, D. et al. Spatial patterns of distribution and relative abundance of coastal shark species in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Marine Ecology Progress Series 593, 73–95 (2018).
3.
Smith, A. N. H., Anderson, M. J., Millar, R. B. & Willis, T. J. Effects of marine reserves in the context of spatial and temporal variation: An analysis using Bayesian zero-inflated mixed models. Marine Ecology Progress Series 499, 203–216 (2014).
4.
Smith, A. N. H., Anderson, M. J. & Millar, R. B. Incorporating the intraspecific occupancy-abundance relationship into zero-inflated models. Ecology 93, 2526–2532 (2012).
5.
Langlois, T. et al. A field and video-annotation guide for baited remote underwater stereo-video surveys of demersal fish assemblages. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 11, 1401–1409 (2020).
6.
MacNeil, M. A. et al. Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks. Nature 583, 801–806 (2020).
7.
Simpfendorfer, C. A. et al. Widespread diversity deficits of coral reef sharks and rays. Science 380, 1155–1160 (2023).