ADEPT: investigation of Predation, or opportunistic foraging, on fishing nets by dolphins in Mediterranean Sea
Overview
| Title: | ADEPT: investigation of Predation, or opportunistic foraging, on fishing nets by dolphins in Mediterranean Sea |
| Duration: | Two years |
| Sponsor: | An EC DGXIV supported project with partners in France, Italy and the UK. |
| Keywords: | cetacean, predation, gill-nets, acoustic deterrent, tracking, harbour porpoise, cetacean, dolphin, mitigation, by-catch |
Abstract
This project builds on experience gained in recent and ongoing studies (EPIC ) relating to harbour porpoise bycatch in gill-nets in the North Sea and the development of effective mechanisms to reduce this. Predation, or opportunistic foraging, on fishing nets by dolphins occurs in the Mediterranean Sea in many areas from Turkey to the Balearic Islands. The artisanal fisheries targeted by dolphins suffer severe damage to their fishing gear and may lose a large proportion of the marketable catch. This project includes the testing of new technology acoustic devices, i.e. PICE ™/AQUAmark™, to determine if the very low power sounds made by these wideband pingers are sufficiently aversive to effectively separate the animals from the fishing gear. These devices have a very limited effective radius and the anticipated displacements, in the order of 200m, may not be sustained as the animals may habituate. The data analysis has still to be completed but some long term benefits appear evident.
People
Mr David Goodson
Dr S Data
Ms G Chiofalo
Dr Darryl Newborough
Dr Paul Lepper
Partners
- Loughborough University Electronic & Electrical Engineering Department - Underwater Acoustic Research Group
- Aquastudio, Messina, Sicily
- IFREMER , France
Publications
Lepper, P.A., Dumortier, N., Dudzinski, K. and Datta, S.,
Separation of Complex Echolocation Signal "Trains" from Multiple Bio-Sonar Sources,
Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Underwater Acoustic Measurements: Technologies and Results, 2, John Papadakis/Leit Bjorno, Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Underwater Acoustic Measurements: Technologies and Results, Heraklion, Greece, June 2005, pp 913-918, ISBN 960-88702-08.
D. Newborough, C. Blomquist and P.A. Lepper
The new generation of Electronic Click Detectors (ECD’s): The development and field trial performance.
Proc. Institute of Acoustics, Underwater Bio-Sonar and Bioacoustics, Vol. 23, Pt. 4, pp. 187-198, ISSN: 1-901656-37-3, July 2001.
Kaschner K., Lepper P.A., Goodson A.D. and Trites A.W.
Increasing the efficiency of ‘pingers’ to reduce cetacean by-catch in commercial fisheries using acoustic multi-path ranging;