Applications and analytical approaches using imaging sonar for quantifying behavioural interactions among aquatic organisms and their environment Articles uri icon

publication date

  • March 2024

start page

  • 207

end page

  • 251

issue

  • 2

volume

  • 81

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1054-3139

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1095-9289

abstract

  • For many aquatic animals, distributional patterns, trophodynamic relationships, and reproductive activity are driven by complex biotic and abiotic
    ecosystem interactions that influence behaviour. Linking behavioural information to environmental stimuli and stressors can, therefore, help to
    anticipate population and ecosystem responses to changing conditions and inform management. However, behavioural information is challenging
    to obtain because many sampling gears do not provide adequate spatial or temporal resolution, or potentially alter behaviours. Traditionally, most
    behavioural studies have been laboratory experiments, while behaviour in situ has often been inferred indirectly. Advancements in imaging sonar
    technology enable the study of in situ behaviours with the potential to address many understudied relationships. In this review we discuss
    applications of imaging sonar among a meta-analysis of 155 studies of aquatic organisms in their environments. We evaluate the performance of
    imaging sonar for studying inter- and intra-specific interactions, associations with complex and sensitive habitats and low-visibility environments,
    and to evaluate traditional fisheries sampling gears. We examine the data processing and analytical methods used to refine taxonomic resolution,
    manage time use and autocorrelation through sub-sampling, extract behavioural metrics applied to ecological processes, and for automating
    abundance estimates and image classification with the goal of providing a resource for researchers.

subjects

  • Robotics and Industrial Informatics

keywords

  • acoustics; adaptive resolution imaging sonar (aris); behaviour; dual-frequency identification sonar (didson); fish; meta-analysis review