New acoustic telemetry receivers for studying deep-water fish

鱼类的行为、运动和栖息地利用通常是很难量化的参数。大多数使用的方法都是间接的，如化学示踪剂或标记和重新捕获，或者只能在短时间内监测鱼类，如潜水员观察。水下声学遥测技术的显著进步可以克服许多这些限制，并使研究人员能够对水生动物的3D世界有新的见解。新的声学标签可以通过外科手术植入鱼类体内或外部附着在鱼类和无脊椎动物身上，可用于< 10克的鱼类，并且在较大的鱼类中可以保持10年以上的活性。新的声学接收器具有更大的范围，可以记录数百万次的相互作用，可以在不使用的情况下放置一年以上，并且可以用于提供多条鱼的特定位置信息（< 1米）。利用这一水下声学基础设施，可以对主要淡水和海洋鱼类的季节性和年度移动、生境利用和生物能量学进行详细研究。声学遥测的一个限制是在深水中工作，在那里回收接收器是困难的，昂贵的和耗时的。我们正在申请资金购买最近开发的具有内置声学释放的遥测接收器。这些接收器可以放置在深水中，通过与水面上的水听器通信，可以释放并漂浮到水面。这项技术将更大地扩大我们的能力，研究深水鱼类，这是非常缺乏研究，但已成为越来越重要的商业物种和健康的生态系统的组成部分，水下声学阵列提供的数据将加强和扩大目前资助的项目在鱼类生态学和生理学的关键研究领域在温莎大学。这一基础设施还将加强温莎大学研究人员之间的合作关系，并与省和联邦政府的科学家和研究计划。所要求的设备将极大地促进与五大湖、热带和北极生态系统健康有关的预期供资机会。

The behavior, movement and habitat use of fish are generally very difficult parameters to quantify. Most methods used are indirect, such as chemical tracers or mark-and-recapture, or can only monitor the fish for short periods of time, such as diver observation. Remarkable advancements in underwater acoustic telemetry can overcome many of these limitations and allow researchers novel insights into the 3-D world of aquatic animals. New acoustic tags, which can be surgically implanted in fish or externally attached to fish and invertebrates, can be used in fish < 10 grams and, in larger fish can remain active for > 10 years. New acoustic receivers have greater range, can record millions of interactions, can be left for more than 1 year without service, and can be used to provide specific position information (< 1 m) of multiple individual fish. This underwater acoustic infrastructure allows detailed study on the seasonal and yearly movement, habitat use and bioenergetics of key freshwater and marine fish. One limitation to acoustic telemetry is working in deep water, where recovery of receivers is difficult, expensive and time consuming. We are requesting funds to purchase recently developed telemetry receivers that have a built-in acoustic release. These receivers can be placed in deep water, and through communication with a hydrophone at the surface can be released and float to the surface. This technology will greater expand our capacity to study deep water fish, which are very poorly studied but have become increasing important as commercial species and components of healthy ecosystems The data provided by underwater acoustic arrays would strength and broaden currently funded projects in key research areas of fish ecology and physiology at the University of Windsor. This infrastructure would also strengthen collaborative ties among U Windsor researchers, and with provincial and federal government scientists and research programs. The requested equipment will contribute critically to anticipated funding opportunities related to Great Lakes, tropic and Arctic ecosystem health.