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	Hydroacoustic techniques Over the last few years, the team has been involved in several projects directed towards the improvement of objectivity in fish species identification and procedures to improve the accuracy of the technique, in several target areas: standardising and automating different procedures, including the acquisition, processing and presentation of fish abundance estimates, in a project which developed special software for plotting choropleth maps based on geostatistical methodology. development of an expert system based on an artificial neural network(ANN) capable of automated school and single target classification and species identification. The ANN system generates associations between school descriptors and species identity, thus providing a powerful tool for species identification. the development of tracking algorithms for monitoring different fish behavioural patterns and estimating their Target Strength variability. The goal of this project is to tackle and solve important problems related to the fish stock assessment methods, ie, to increase the objectivity of species identifiaction for both pelagic and demersal species especially in a mixed species community, and to specify the variations of the TS estimates for the different fish behavioural patterns analysis of the inter-relationship between patterns of pelagic fish aggregation and stock size. The main aim of the project is to develop an understanding of how the pattern of pelagic fish aggregation varies with stock size. development of tools for a three-dimensional analysis of schools aiming at an accurate assessment of fishing gear efficiency. The main aim of the project is to develop methodology and software for a three-dimensional analysis of schools and fish aggregations in order to improve fisheries acoustics. The biological approach of the work among other things includes the comparison and justification of different fishing patterns (small scale c.p.u.e) in relation to the fish biomass spatial structure and the environmental factors. Remote Sensing The IMBC has installed a remote sensing receiving station and the acquisition of NOAA high-resolution data, ready to receive SeaWifs data from the SeaStar satellite when it is launched. This should allow the investigation of possible benefits accruing from the application of remote sensing techniques for fisheries management purposes. Remote sensing techniques are also applied to the study of factors which govern the physical and biological processes in the sea. Measurement of the characteristics of the water masses, such as temperature and salinity provide invaluable information on the fish environment. CZCS imagery provides data on CPL (chlorophyll-like pigments) and is a good tracer of the origin of the water masses and when processed into synoptic maps of chlorophyll, provides an accurate and large-scale picture of the productivity of the surface layers of the ocean. The satellite pictures are stored in a separate image analyis and processing system (ERDAS, IMAGINE), linked to the IMBC GIS server. In addition, remote sensing techniques are applied to the study of factors contributing to the generation of algal blooms. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Monitoring of appropriate environmental paramenters is undertaken in order to study the relationship between productivity and the environment. The main objective is to develop and apply the temporal and spatial analysis of resources exploited by fisheries in the Mediterranean by using GIS (Geographical Information Systems) technology and concepts. Emphasis will be given to interactions interactions between resources and environmental factors and the behaviour of the fisheries fleet in a given area. The temporal/spatial integrated approach allows the environmental heterogeneity and the geographical distinctiveness of the target areas to be taken into account in the search for a common fisheries management policy. Data Processing An essential element of the work of the IMBC is the need to accumulate long-term data on the fish stocks over a wide area. It is therefore constantly seeking to improve methods of assessing the state of fish stocks, which are subject to natural fluctuation. The data processing section which provides this, also provides essential data to the national authorities and the European Union, to further progress towards the formulation and implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy. A prerequisite for the proper management of Greek fisheries is the provision of good estimates of fish catches. For the estimation of commercial fleet catches, a nationwide network has been established, connecting 24 fishery inspection offices with the IMBC. Fishery inspectors collect data monthly, providing information on landings, fishing effort, biological parameters of the catch and socio-economics of the fishing fleet. Scientific information derived from various research projects is also gathered and entered in to the database.
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