IMOS BA SOOP - Bio Acoustic Data from Sealord F.V. Janas in the Tasman Sea from the 26th of August 2009 to the 31st of August 2009.

This Bio Acoustic data was collected in August 2009 under the IMOS Ship of Opportunity (SOOP) Bio Acoustic (BA) program on Sealord F.V. Janas (IMOS platform code: ZMTW).

Departed: Hobart, Australia, August 26, 2009 Arrived: New Zealand, August 31, 2009

Bio acoustic signals allow understanding how mid-water prey species (known collectively as micronekton) such as small fish, squid, krill and jellyfish are distributed.

Mid-water prey form the core of the ocean food web, transferring energy from primary producers at the ocean surface to top predators such as tunas, billfish, sharks, seals and seabirds.The mass and distribution of micronekton reflects broad-scale patterns in the structure and function of the ocean, as well as the dynamics of marine ecosystems.

Acoustic mapping is done from fishing and scientific vessels that are equipped with scientifically-calibrated 38 kHz digital echo-sounders that record a slice of acoustic backscatter to a depth of 1500 meters.