Automated monitoring of salmonoids in streams with new solid-state LiDar

Maintaining healthy populations of salmon and trout (salmonids) has significant biological, cultural, and economic benefits. Significant data gaps exist for sources of mortality in juvenile and adult salmonids in small streams. These gaps can create discrepancies between main stem escapement counts and estimates of population health. Field Data Services, LLC is developing novel camera trap technology that leverages newly available solid state LiDAR sensor chips for detecting anadromous fish in small streams. This LiDAR chip, introduced in October 2020, uses an infrared laser to measure distances to objects with millimeter accuracy. This breakthrough technology could enable low-cost detection of adult salmonids as they move over shallow riffles, or juveniles underwater. LiDAR chips have been incorporated into an existing field-proven digital platform that includes an AI-enabled smart camera and long-distance wireless link. Our devices are small (2 lbs), portable, and able to be installed without stream channel alterations. This enables deployments across numerous remote and unmonitored streams, or alongside existing survey methods. Following the extensive Phase I laboratory testing, Phase II will add field deployment and data collection. On-board AI will interpret detections and produce tabular data ready for analysis of population health, or to validate restoration of barriers and culverts.