Videos and still images of the seabed from the 2017 survey of Grenada and the Grenadines Islands in the Caribbean

As part of the Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme (CMEP) Cefas collected 87 drop camera video tows of the seabed on the southern and western sides of the island of Grenada and around the Carriacou and the Grenadines Islands. These videos of the seabed were to characterise the benthic fauna within the area and support the creation of benthic habitat maps from UKHO lidar data. The videos and still images were acquired during the 2017 survey using a lightweight drop camera frame with two GoPros simultaneously collecting stills and video data. Two lasers were fitted for scaling images and additional lighting provided real colour images of the seabed. The drop camera frame was lowered to the seabed by hand from a vessel, with the video monitored to maintain a consistent height above the seabed. Tows were 15 minutes long with the vessel drifting in neutral so the distance covered in each tow varied. Sample depths ranged from 3-40 m and covered a range of habitats including bare sediment, seagrass, and coral and sponge dominated reefs. Still images were acquired every minute at a point when the seabed was clearly in focus.