USF scientists are using what they call revolutionary technology to count fish in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Friday, the USF team will attach an elaborate 350-pound camera system to a research boat and take it 80 miles out to the Florida Middle Lands. Then, researchers will spend two weeks to uncover how many grouper and red snapper are lurking around the coral reefs.
Researchers are counting the fish in an effort to prevent overfishing.
"The goal here is to get a better count of just how many fish are in the ocean and only take a fixed percentage of those every year which would be a way to sustainably fish," said USF College of Marine Science Researcher Steve Murawski.
Instead of fishing or trawling, the camera system allows researchers to get a count without killing the fish.
The six-camera system is just one tool they'll use on the trip. Scientists will also lower smaller cameras to watch the bigger one. Oddly enough, those cameras will be looking for the fish that don't make it on the video screen.
"We're interested in whether fish are scooting out of the way before we even see them on the camera," Murawski said.
Murawski said all the images will help give researchers a more accurate count.
The trip is funded through an $800,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.