Pelagic Baited Remote Underwater Video (pBRUV)

Overview

The pbruv/ dataset contains all pelagic baited remote underwater video (pBRUV) data collected during Pristine Seas expeditions. pBRUVs are mid-water stereo camera arrays deployed as strings of multiple rigs to sample pelagic and semi-pelagic fish assemblages in the water column.

The pBRUV protocol involves deploying a string of 5 stereo camera rigs spaced 200 meters apart at a standard 10-meter depth, creating a 1-kilometer pelagic sampling transect. Each rig is equipped with standardized bait and records simultaneously for a set duration (typically 60-90 minutes). This method is particularly effective for detecting pelagic predators, sharks, tunas, and other mobile species that may be difficult to sample with other methods.

Each pBRUV deployment represents a coordinated sampling event where multiple rigs work together to sample a volume of water. The 200-meter spacing means that while rigs are not fully independent, they provide spatial replication within the deployment area.

pbruv/
├── sites         # Deployment-level metadata for pBRUV strings
├── stations      # Individual rig metadata within each deployment
├── detections    # Individual fish observations with timing and size data
└── maxn_by_taxa  # Maximum number of individuals by species per rig

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Tables

Sites (pbruv.sites)

The pbruv.sites table contains one row per pBRUV deployment event. Each deployment represents the coordinated deployment of a string of 5 stereo camera rigs at a specific location and time. This table captures the overall deployment logistics, environmental conditions, and summary effort metrics.

This table stores deployment-level metadata including spatial information (averaged across all rigs), team logistics, environmental conditions, and deployment parameters. It follows the core site schema shared across methods and adds pBRUV-specific fields for string configuration and overall deployment success.

Table 1: Schema for pbruv.sites: pBRUV deployment metadata

Field	Type	Required	Description
ps_site_id	STRING	true	Unique site ID (exp_id_method_###), e.g., PNG_2024_pbruv_001
exp_id	STRING	true	Expedition ID (ISO3_YEAR)
method	STRING	true	Survey method: pbruv
region	STRING	true	Broad geographic or administrative unit
subregion	STRING	true	Intermediate feature within the region
locality	STRING	false	Local named feature such as a village, bay, or reef
date	DATE	true	Date of pBRUV deployment (YYYY-MM-DD)
time_start	TIME	true	Time of first deployment (HH:MM:SS)
time_end	TIME	false	Time of last deployment (used to calculate soak time)
avg_latitude	FLOAT	true	Average latitude across all rigs (decimal degrees, WGS84)
avg_longitude	FLOAT	true	Average longitude across all rigs (decimal degrees, WGS84)
avg_distance_shore_km	FLOAT	false	Average distance from shore across all rigs (km) - calculated
habitat	STRING	true	Dominant habitat type (e.g., pelagic, shelf_break, seamount)
exposure	STRING	false	Wave/wind exposure if applicable
current_speed	STRING	false	Estimated current conditions (low, moderate, high)
sea_state	STRING	false	Sea state during deployment (calm, moderate, rough)
team_lead	STRING	true	Name of the field lead responsible for deployment
uwa_string	STRING	false	UWA string identifier for video annotation partnership (e.g., PNGP24001)
n_rigs_deployed	INTEGER	true	Number of rigs successfully deployed (typically 5)
avg_drift_m	FLOAT	false	Average drift distance across all rigs (meters) - calculated
avg_drift_hrs	FLOAT	false	Average drift duration across all rigs (hours) - calculated
highlights	STRING	false	Notable events during deployment (e.g., large aggregations, equipment issues)
notes	STRING	false	Additional deployment comments or observations

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Stations (pbruv.stations)

This table contains metadata for individual camera rigs within each pBRUV deployment. Each row represents one of the 5 rigs in a deployment string, with specific position, equipment, and performance data for that rig.

Stations capture rig-level details including exact coordinates (start and end positions), equipment used, video quality, drift patterns, and any rig-specific issues. Key site and environmental metadata are denormalized to enable efficient rig-level analysis without joins.

Table 2: Schema for pbruv.stations: individual rig metadata within pBRUV deployments

Field	Type	Required	Description
ps_station_id	STRING	true	Unique station ID (ps_site_id_rig), e.g., PNG_2024_pbruv_001_r201
ps_site_id	STRING	true	Foreign key to pbruv.sites
exp_id	STRING	true	Expedition ID (ISO3_YEAR) - denormalized for performance
region	STRING	true	Region name - from pbruv.sites
subregion	STRING	true	Subregion name - from pbruv.sites
locality	STRING	false	Locality name - from pbruv.sites
habitat	STRING	true	Habitat type - from pbruv.sites
rig_id	STRING	true	Physical rig identifier (e.g., 201, 322, 415)
start_latitude	FLOAT	true	Rig deployment start latitude (decimal degrees, WGS84)
start_longitude	FLOAT	true	Rig deployment start longitude (decimal degrees, WGS84)
end_latitude	FLOAT	false	Rig recovery end latitude (decimal degrees, WGS84)
end_longitude	FLOAT	false	Rig recovery end longitude (decimal degrees, WGS84)
distance_shore_km	FLOAT	false	Distance from nearest shore for this rig (km) - calculated
left_cam	STRING	true	Model or serial number of the left camera
right_cam	STRING	true	Model or serial number of the right camera
bait_type	STRING	true	Type of bait used (e.g., sardines, skipjack, local_fish)
uwa_opcode	STRING	false	UWA operation code for this specific rig (e.g., PNGP24_001)
date	DATE	true	Date of deployment - denormalized for temporal queries
time_in	TIME	true	Time when rig entered water
time_out	TIME	false	Time when rig was recovered
video_quality	STRING	false	Assessment of video quality (excellent, good, poor, unusable)
drift_m	FLOAT	false	Total drift distance during deployment (meters) - calculated
drift_hrs	FLOAT	false	Duration of drift (hours) - calculated
notes	STRING	false	Rig-specific comments or observations

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Detections (pbruv.detections)

This table contains individual fish observations recorded during pBRUV deployments. Each row represents a specific fish or group of fish observed at a particular time during video analysis from one of the 5 rigs in a deployment string, including behavioral and size measurement data from stereo analysis.

This detailed temporal data enables behavioral analysis, arrival time studies, and provides the raw data from which MaxN values are calculated. Key station and site metadata are denormalized to enable efficient querying across the rig network.

Table 3: Schema for pbruv.detections: individual fish observations with timing and measurement data

Field	Type	Required	Description
detection_id	STRING	true	Unique detection ID (auto-generated)
ps_station_id	STRING	true	Foreign key to pbruv.stations (specific rig)
ps_site_id	STRING	true	Site identifier - denormalized for performance
exp_id	STRING	true	Expedition ID - denormalized for performance
time_min	FLOAT	true	Time of observation (minutes from deployment start)
frame	INTEGER	false	Video frame number (if available)
filename	STRING	true	Video filename (e.g., PNG_2024_pbruv_001_r201_L.avi)
region	STRING	true	Region name - from sites
subregion	STRING	true	Subregion name - from sites
habitat	STRING	true	Habitat type - from sites
date	DATE	true	Deployment date - denormalized for temporal queries
rig_id	STRING	true	Physical rig identifier - from stations
rig_position	INTEGER	true	Position in string (1-5) - from stations
accepted_name	STRING	true	Scientific name (Genus species) of observed taxon
accepted_aphia_id	INTEGER	true	WoRMS AphiaID — foreign key to taxonomy.fish
rank	STRING	true	Taxonomic rank (species, genus, or family)
family	STRING	true	Family of the observed taxon
field_code	STRING	false	Original field identification code (if used)
count	INTEGER	true	Number of individuals observed at this time point
life_stage	STRING	false	Life stage (adult, juvenile, unknown)
activity	STRING	false	Behavioral activity (passing, feeding, investigating, schooling)
group_behavior	STRING	false	Group dynamics (solitary, pair, small_group, large_school)
length_mm	FLOAT	false	Estimated total length (mm) from stereo measurement
precision_mm	FLOAT	false	Measurement precision/error (mm)
length_type	STRING	false	Type of length measured (TL, FL, SL)
notes	STRING	false	Observation-specific comments or notes

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MaxN by Taxa (pbruv.maxn_by_taxa)

This table contains species-level summaries for each rig within pBRUV deployments using the MaxN metric—the maximum number of individuals of each species observed in a single video frame during the deployment. MaxN provides a conservative abundance estimate per rig that minimizes double-counting of mobile individuals.

Each row represents a unique combination of rig (ps_station_id) and species, with taxonomic information standardized using accepted_aphia_id from taxonomy.fish. Key deployment, rig, and spatial metadata are denormalized to enable efficient querying and analysis across the rig network.

Table 4: Schema for pbruv.maxn_by_taxa: MaxN abundance by species per rig

Field	Type	Required	Description
ps_station_id	STRING	true	Foreign key to pbruv.stations (specific rig)
ps_site_id	STRING	true	Site identifier - denormalized for performance
exp_id	STRING	true	Expedition ID - denormalized for performance
region	STRING	true	Region name - from sites
subregion	STRING	true	Subregion name - from sites
locality	STRING	false	Locality name - from sites
habitat	STRING	true	Habitat type - from sites
date	DATE	true	Date of deployment - denormalized for temporal queries
rig_id	STRING	true	Physical rig identifier - from stations
distance_shore_km	FLOAT	false	Distance from shore for this rig - from stations
drift_m	FLOAT	false	Drift distance for this rig - from stations
uwa_opcode	STRING	false	UWA operation code for this rig - from stations
uwa_string	STRING	false	UWA string identifier - from sites
accepted_name	STRING	true	Scientific name (Genus species) of observed taxon
accepted_aphia_id	INTEGER	true	WoRMS AphiaID — foreign key to taxonomy.fish
rank	STRING	true	Taxonomic rank (species, genus, or family)
family	STRING	true	Family of the observed taxon
trophic_group	STRING	false	Trophic group classification from taxonomy.fish
common_name	STRING	false	Common name from taxonomy.fish
maxn	INTEGER	true	Maximum number of individuals observed in a single frame
maxn_time_min	FLOAT	false	Time (minutes from start) when MaxN was recorded
first_arrival_min	FLOAT	false	Time of first appearance in video (minutes from start)
last_seen_min	FLOAT	false	Time of last observation (minutes from start)
total_detections	INTEGER	false	Total number of detection events for this species on this rig
mean_group_size	FLOAT	false	Average group size across all detections
mean_length_cm	FLOAT	false	Mean estimated length from stereo analysis (cm)
min_length_cm	FLOAT	false	Minimum estimated length (cm)
max_length_cm	FLOAT	false	Maximum estimated length (cm)
n_measured	INTEGER	false	Number of individuals successfully measured
notes	STRING	false	Species-specific observations or notes