Hydroacoustic ex situ target strength measurements on juvenile cod (Gadus morhua L.)

• Published in: ICES Journal of Marine Science
• Main Authors: Nielsen, J. Rasmus, Lundgren, Bo
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 1999
• Subjects: Articles; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/56/5/627; https://doi.org/10.1006/jmsc.1999.0515

Most TS-measurements on fish have been carried out for 38 kHz, and the existing TS algorithm for 120 kHz on cod is based on measurements on stunned fish. The main objective of these experiments was to establish an empirical estimate of the relation between acoustic reflection (target strength, TS) and length of live juvenile cod (7–10 cm and 15–20 cm) at 120 kHz. This was done by recording the variation in TS of freely swimming cod tracking single fish targets for the two size groups within the acoustic beam field. The experiment was set up in an open air 2000 m3 tank where the small 5–10 cm long fish were swimming freely during measurement in cages (1×1×3 m) within the acoustic beam under natural conditions in seawater with a salinity of 30 and a temperature of 11°C. An EY500 split-beam acoustic system was used to detect single fish passing through the acoustic beam field, which was video recorded in order to isolate the measurements on single targets and to get an indication of their angle. A mean target strength-to-size relation was calculated for small cod based on single fish tracks with total acoustic angles below 3.5° off axis in the beam field. This relationship is compared to other TS measurements on juvenile cod in literature. TS at 120 kHz for the investigated cod size range seems to decrease faster by length than the 20 logL relation used for larger cod. The results were used to check the expected range limits of TS for juvenile cod during survey, and are expected to be taken into consideration in density estimation of juvenile cod during acoustic surveys targeting young gadoids in general.