IMOS BA SOOP - Bio Acoustic Data from Sealord FV Will Watch in the Indian Ocean from the 30th of July 2011 to the 8th of August 2011.

This Bio Acoustic data was collected in July/August 2011 under the IMOS Ship of Opportunity (SOOP) Bio Acoustic (BA) program on Sealord FV Will Watch (IMOS platform code: E5WW).

Departed: Mauritius, July 30, 2011 Arrived: Western Indian Ocean, August 03, 2011

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.