Horizontal target strength-size conversion equations for sea bass and gilt-head bream

Horizontal hydroacoustics is a technique of remote fish detection that has proved to efficiently determine fish density and biomass in shallow or superficial waters. This non-intrusive technique could render better results than those obtained by conventional sampling when monitoring shallow waters....

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Rodríguez Sánchez, María Victoria, Rodríguez Ruiz, Amadora, Pérez Arjona, Isabel, Encina Encina, Lourdes
Format: article
Status:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Publication Date:2018
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repository:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/99031
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/99031
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.02.034
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Hydroacoustic
Target-strength equation
Sea bass
Gilt-head bream
Aquaculture
Description
Summary:Horizontal hydroacoustics is a technique of remote fish detection that has proved to efficiently determine fish density and biomass in shallow or superficial waters. This non-intrusive technique could render better results than those obtained by conventional sampling when monitoring shallow waters. To apply this technique, we need equations that relate the amount of sound returned by fish, known as target strength (TS in dB), with their length (mm) or weight (g). This study presents horizontal conversion equations for the species gilt-head bream (Sparus aurata) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), two of the most important species bred in aquaculture. Moreover, this study presents a new formula to calculate a mixed equation adjusted to the percentage of distribution of those species in case of mixed populations. The results in this research have been obtained by applying a simple setup that allows for high-quality acoustic data. These new equations will enable the application of this technique in order to estimate these species' density and biomass in shallow aquatic systems such as aquaculture ponds with semi-intensive production densities.