Monitoring marine seismic cables with optical fiber

A marine seismic streamer cable system includes an outer streamer skin defining a longitudinally extending tube; a strength member extending longitudinally through the interior of the tube; seismic sensors located inside the tube and connected to one another electronically so as to transmit power and seismic data signals; an optical fiber extending longitudinally through the tube and configured so as to physically be coupled to the tube so that bending of the tube will directly transmit bending to the optical fiber; and an optical measurement unit that is optically connected with the optical fiber so as to measure optical transmission through the optical fiber and thereby determine various aspects of the optical fiber that are indicative of stress and strain experienced by the streamer.