“Tracking Fine-Scale Fish Behavior in Real Time with Acoustic Tags and Hydrophone Arrays

As humans alter water bodies of all types to accommodate a growing population, understanding the response of fish to these alterations has become increasingly important to minimize potential adverse impacts on fish populations.  Behavioral studies that seek to assess the response of fish to dams, canals, power plant intakes, etc, require a tool that measures the responses of fish to these structures.  Acoustic telemetry, using tagged fish and hydrophone arrays can provide real-time results (tracks and position estimate updates in seconds) of fish behavior in and around these structures.  While real-time behavioral results are not always required for behavioral assessments, they can provide immediate feedback on fish behavior that can be used for specific experimental designs and water control system operational changes. Hydrophone array deployment, data processing, tagged fish position display and data storage methodologies are discussed.