EXPERIMENTAL TRIAL OF USING THE SCIENTIFIC MULTIBEAM ECHOSOUNDER DESIGNED TO DETECT FISH IN A WILD FIELD OF VIEW

Abstract

Objectives. Experimental trial of using the scientific multibeam echosounder installed on the research vessel “Issledovatel Kaspiya” was conducted in the Caspian Sea with the purpose to detect fish in a wild field of view.Methods. Both the scientific multibeam echosounder and the scientific echosounder Simrad EK60 were simultaneously utilized for performing acoustic surveys. Data obtained from the scientific multibeam echosounder were compared to data obtained from Simrad EK60. Coefficients of volume backscattering at the vessel’s tracks obtained from the multibeam echosounder and the Simrad EK60 echosounder were also compared.Results. Values of the volume backscattering coefficient obtained both from the multibeam echosounder and the Simrad EK60 echosounder are rather close. It was revealed that a wild field of view of the multibeam echosounder is more advantageous than the narrow field of view of Simrad EK60.Main conclusions. Full-scale tests of the multibeam echosounder performed in the Caspian Sea well proved that it can be used for detecting fish in a wide field of view. But to increase the echosounder efficiency in this operation mode, it is necessary to continue improving the data processing algorithms with regards to hydrodynamic noise filtering and to reposition the echosounder underwater unit mounting it at the vessel’s bottom or submerged keel.

Keywords

• scientific multibeam echosounder
• wild field of view
• fish detection