Introducing novel uses of multibeam sonar to study basking sharks in the light of marine renewable energy extraction

Lilian Lieber* (Corresponding Author), Benjamin Williamson, Catherine S Jones, Leslie R Noble, Andrew Brierley, Peter Miller, Beth E Scott

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingOther contribution

Abstract

Reaching over 12m in length, basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) are the largest fish in the Northeast Atlantic and seasonally aggregate in UK coastal waters. Little is known about their behaviour during aggregations and as the rate of marine renewable energy development increases, there is an urgent need to develop resource-efficient platforms for monitoring basking sharks. Despite their size, quantifying their natural behaviour in plankton-rich waters remains a major challenge. Here, we present the successful application of a Teledyne RESON (Seabat 7128) multibeam sonar to track basking sharks at a key aggregation site on the West Coast of Scotland. First results of individual fine-scale tracking indicate that multibeam sonar is a promising tool for acoustic detection and tracking from a safe distance to the target species.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEIMR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Subtitle of host publicationEnvironmental Interactions of Marine Renewable Energy Technologies 28 April – 02 May 2014 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
PublisherUHI
Pages1-3
Number of pages3
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Event2nd International Conference on Environmental Interactions of Marine Renewable Energy Technologies (EIMR2014) - Stornoway, United Kingdom
Duration: 30 Apr 20141 May 2014
https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/research-enterprise/events-and-seminars/eimr/eimr-2014/

Conference

Conference2nd International Conference on Environmental Interactions of Marine Renewable Energy Technologies (EIMR2014)
Abbreviated titleEIMR 2014
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityStornoway
Period30/04/141/05/14
Internet address

Bibliographical note

We would like to thank Innes Henderson, John McCann and crew for boat time, enthusiasm and local knowledge on board the FV Tarka. Thanks also go to John Polanski from the Oceanlab, Aberdeen, for field equipment and to Professor William Megill (Rhine-Waal University) for advice on sonar equipment. We are indebted to Teledyne RESON, specifically, John Fraser, Richard Fotheringham, Adam Junner and Pim Kuus for kindly providing us with specific multibeam training and the Seabat 7128.

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