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Backscattered acoustic energy from a target varies with frequency and carries information about its material properties, size, shape, and orientation. Gas-bearing organisms are strong reflectors of acoustic energy at the commonly used frequencies (∼18-450 kHz) in fishery surveys, but lack of knowledge of their acoustic properties creates large uncertainties in mesopelagic biomass estimates. Improved knowledge about the volume and elongation (i.e., longest to shortest dimension) of swimbladders of mesopelagic fishes has been identified as an important factor to reduce the overall uncertainties in acoustic survey estimates of mesopelagic biomass. In this paper, a finite element approach was used to model gas-filled objects, revealing the structure of the backscattering, also at frequencies well above the main resonance frequency. Similar scattering features were observed in measured broadband backscattering of several individual mesopelagic organisms. A method is suggested for estimating the elongation of a gas-bubble using these features. The method is applied to the in situ measured wideband (33-380 kHz) target strength (TS) of single mesopelagic gas-bearing organisms from two stations in the North Atlantic (NA) and Norwegian Sea (NS). For the selected targets, the method suggested that the average elongation of gas-bladder at the NA and NS stations are 1.49 ± 0.52 and 2.86 ± 0.50, respectively.

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Distortion of acoustic wave caused by nonlinear propagation transfers acoustic energy into higher harmonics of the transmitted signal. When operating several broadband echosounders with non-overlapping frequency bands to cover a wide frequency range, higher harmonics generated by one band may interfere with the fundamental band of others. This interference (i.e., crosstalk) can adversely affect the measured backscattered amplitude frequency response and in some circumstances, appears as spurious targets above and/or below the main target in pulse-compressed echograms. The nonlinear propagation of frequency-modulated acoustic waves in a directional beam was modeled and used to assess methods to reduce the deleterious effects of harmonic components in the signal, and was also compared to field experiments using the seabed echo and a metallic target sphere, with good agreement. Two methods are shown to materially reduce crosstalk: (1) reduction in transmit power, which reduces crosstalk amplitude by a larger amount than the associated reduction in transmit power, and (2) selection of a proper Fourier window length in the processing stage. The effect of crosstalk was small (<0.4 dB or 10%) for area backscattering measurements, but could be several dB for target strength measurements at different frequencies, depending on the transmit signals and processing parameters.

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Accurate estimates of acoustic absorption in seawater are crucial to the acoustic estimation of aquatic biomass. Estimates of acoustic absorption were obtained via a "pulse-echo" method, implemented using commonly available scientific echosounders and spherical calibration targets over a range of discrete frequencies. Below about 200 kHz, the absorption estimates were not significantly different from those of existing formulas, but at around 333 kHz, the measured absorption was 15 dB km-1 higher than estimated from existing formulas. Measurement variability was about ±2 dB km-1 for all frequencies. This is consistent with an observed anomaly between modelled and measured frequency-dependent biological backscatter. Allowing for this deviation will avoid incorrect spectral-based classification of acoustic targets and improve uncertainty in aquatic biomass estimation.

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Two methods for measuring the angular position of a reference target when observed with a horizontally transmitting, multi-beam fishery sonar are described. The theory behind realizations of both a Split-Beam (SB) algorithm and an Interpolated Neighbouring Beam (INB) algorithm is described for a cylindrical transducer array. The algorithms were implemented on both simulated and real data collected during field calibrations. The estimated precision was ±0.2 to ±0.25°, for both algorithms when the target was within the central part of the beam. The precision was reduced for targets with large inclination angles, or in the beam-overlap region of the SB's two half-transducer arrays. The SB algorithm provides an accurate target location within the entire main lobe of the acoustic beam. For the INB method, the accuracy is only good within a small sector close to the acoustic axis, or within ±1.5°-±2.5° depending on the sonar operating frequency. Repeated calibration trials have shown that the SB algorithm can be used to track the reference-target position in real-time with adequate accuracy for use on fishery acoustic surveys.

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Mesopelagic fish of the Myctophidae and Sternoptychidae families dominate the biomass of the oceanic deep scattering layers and, therefore, have important ecological roles within these ecosystems. Interest in the commercial exploitation of these fish is growing, so the development of techniques for estimating their abundance, distribution and, ultimately, sustainable exploitation are essential. The acoustic backscattering characteristics for two size classes of Maurolicus muelleri and Benthosema glaciale are reported here based on swimbladder morphology derived from digitized soft x-ray images, and empirical (in situ) measurements of target strength (TS) derived from an acoustic survey in a Norwegian Sea. A backscattering model based on a gas-filled prolate spheroid was used to predict the theoretical TS for both species across a frequency range between 0 and 250 kHz. Sensitivity analyses of the TS model to the modeling parameters indicate that TS is rather sensitive to the viscosity, swimbladder volume ratio, and tilt, which can result in substantial changes to the TS. Theoretical TS predictions close to the resonance frequency were in good agreement (±2 dB) with mean in situ TS derived from the areas acoustically surveyed that were spatially and temporally consistent with the trawl information for both species.

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The acoustic backscatter from pressure release prolate spheroids and a three-dimensional representation of a fish swimbladder (Chilean jack mackerel, Trachurus symmetricus murphyi) was calculated using four target strength models (Kirchhoff-approximation, Kirchhoff-ray-mode, finite element solution of the Helmholtz equation, and prolate-spheroid-modal-series). Smoothly varying errors were found in the Kirchhoff-approximation and Kirchhoff-ray-mode model results when compared to the other models, and provide objective criteria for constraining the use of the KA and KRM models. A generic correction technique is also proposed for the prolate spheroid estimates and tentatively tested on a jack mackerel swimbladder, resulting in improvements to the target strength estimates from the Kirchhoff-approximation and Kirchhoff-ray-mode models.

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Acoustic measurement of near-bottom fish with a directional transducer is generally problematical because the powerful bottom echo interferes with weaker echoes from fish within the main lobe but at greater ranges than that of the bottom. The volume that is obscured is called the dead zone. This has already been estimated for the special case of a flat horizontal bottom when observed by an echo sounder with a stable vertical transducer beam [Ona, E., and Mitson, R. B. (1996). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 53, 677-690]. The more general case of observation by a split-beam echo sounder with a transducer mounted on a noninertial platform is addressed here. This exploits the capability of a split-beam echo sounder to measure the bottom slope relative to the beam axis and thence to allow the dead-zone volume over a flat but sloping bottom to be estimated analytically. The method is established for the Simrad EK60 scientific echo sounder, with split-beam transducers operating at 18, 38, 70, 120, and 200 kHz. It is validated by comparing their estimates of seafloor slope near the Lofoten Islands, N67-70, with simultaneous measurements made by two hydrographic multibeam sonars, the Simrad EM100295 kHz and EM30030 kHz systems working in tandem.

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Behavior of herring (Clupea harengus) is stimulated by two ocean-going research vessels; respectively designed with and without regard to radiated-noise-standards. Both vessels generate a reaction pattern, but, contrary to expectations, the reaction initiated by the silent vessel is stronger and more prolonged than the one initiated by the conventional vessel. The recommendations from the scientific community on noise-reduced designs were motivated by the expectation of minimizing bias on survey results caused by vessel-induced fish behavior. In conclusion, the candidate stimuli for vessel avoidance remain obscure. Noise reduction might be necessary but is insufficient to obtain stealth vessel assets during surveys.

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