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Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center

2005 Awarded Research Projects

Deployment of an acoustic data logger on commercial fishing vessels to evaluate the potential of fishing-induced declines in local pollock abundance

Terrance Quinn II

Abstract

We undertook a ''proof of concept" project to evaluate the feasibility of installing acoustic data loggers on catcher/processors in the EBS pollock fishery to study localized depletion of pollock. The project is developing a prototype data logger that interfaces with the ship's 38 kHz echo soWlder and captures the acoustic backscatter returns. In 2002, we developed the system and installed it on three catcher/processors (Island Enterprise, Kodiak Enterprise, and Alaska Ocean). The system has been tested and implemented and works quite satisfactorily. The backscatter data is post-processed and integrated with observer and logbook data A preliminary analysis has been conducted that shows that the devices record information that is correlated with pollock catches. Further work will include classifying the searching behavior of the vessel, identifying pollock aggregations detected while searchiQ.g, and evaluating what inferences, if any, can be made concerning the rate at which those aggregations are reduced in abundance. We believe that this project has resulted in successful implementation of the proof of concept project and in 2003 we moved into the second "operations" phase, where the system was installed on multiple fishing vessels. The project is moving fo~d in developing more sophisticated analytical tools for inferring the temporal dynamics of pollock spatial pattern using multiple data sources. We propose to hire a technician to assist with data processing and a graduate student with an adequate quantitative background to engage in this type ofanalytical work.

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