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Fish density and target strength distribution of single fish echoes in varying light conditions with single and split beam echosounding and trawling

  • European Large Lakes IV
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Abstract

To evaluate the consistency of mobile and vertical echosounding results from the 1980s to the 2000s, fish density (fish ha−1) and target strength (TS, dB) estimates of single (70 and 200 kHz) and split (38 and 120 kHz) beam echo sounders were compared under varying light conditions. Acoustic estimates were compared with trawling results. During daytime hauls, the catch per swept area (CSA) of vendace and smelt were high at 10–15 m depth and low at 15–30 m depth. Around sunset, vendace and to some degree also smelt were concentrated at some meters above the thermocline. Around midnight, the CSA showed that smelt occupied higher water layers than vendace. Under different light conditions, both single and split beam echo sounders were in good agreement regarding the general level of fish density. In dusk and darkness, density estimates from echosounding and trawling as well as the TS-distribution between the single and split beam sounders were more consistent than those in daylight. We conclude that in boreal lakes single and split beam echosoundings outline, in comparable light conditions, consistent time series from the 1980s up to the year 2010. Darkness gives the best condition for estimating fish density and acoustic fish size.

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Acknowledgements

The Nordic Council of Ministers gave financial support, and Helge Balk, Frank R. Knudsen, and Torfinn Lindem helped during this study. Two anonymous reviewers gave valuable comments to improve this manuscript. Thanks to all!

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute, 58175, Enonkoski, Finland

    Juha Jurvelius

  2. Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Timo J. Marjomäki

  3. Finnish Environmental Institute, P.O. Box 140, 00251, Helsinki, Finland

    Heikki Peltonen

  4. Northern Fisheries Research Institute, Petrozavodsk State University, Petrozavodsk, Russia, 185 031

    Andrei Degtev

  5. Institute of Freshwater Research, 17893, Drottningholm, Sweden

    Eva Bergstrand & Olof Enderlein

  6. Natural Resources Institute Finland, Itäinen Pitkäkatu 3, 20520, Turku, Finland

    Heikki Auvinen

Authors
  1. Juha Jurvelius
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  2. Timo J. Marjomäki
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  3. Heikki Peltonen
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  4. Andrei Degtev
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  5. Eva Bergstrand
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  6. Olof Enderlein
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  7. Heikki Auvinen
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Correspondence to Heikki Auvinen.

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Guest editors: Paula Kankaala, Tiina Nõges, Martti Rask, Dietmar Straile & Arkady Yu. Terzhevik / European Large Lakes IV. Ecosystem Services and Management in a Changing World

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Jurvelius, J., Marjomäki, T.J., Peltonen, H. et al. Fish density and target strength distribution of single fish echoes in varying light conditions with single and split beam echosounding and trawling. Hydrobiologia 780, 113–124 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2780-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2780-0

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