The dissertation thesis is focused on pelagic fish distribution in the large freshwater bodies and the main factors affecting it. Paper 1 describes fish behaviour in a mouth of a midwater trawl during different day time periods as fish activity may importantly affect abundance estimates of the sampled fish stock. Acoustically recorded avoidance behaviour in a vertical direction is described. The second part of the thesis refers to the diel distribution and behaviour of the pelagic fry communities with a particular focus on the vertically migrating bathypelagic percid fry that occupy open water during early ontogeny. Paper 2 shows that the vertically migrating community can create a dominant part of fry assemblages in the reservoir, which is in contrast to many previous observations of an usually prevailing non-migrating epipelagic community. At their day refuge, bathypelagic percid fry (BPF) created dense shoals whose physical parameters are described. Paper 3 for the first time demonstrates that vertical shifts of BPF were under direct light control, hence were not a genetically fixed behaviour. A unique large-scale field experiment with the simultaneously operating up-looking and down looking transducers was carried out under artificially controlled light regime. Moreover effect of predation as the main ultimate cause of vertical shifts is discussed. The introductory part of the thesis opens with the current possibilities of assessing distribution and behaviour of fish in the open water. Benefits of shoaling/schooling behaviour during defence against predators, foraging and learning abilities of fish are mentioned and some implications of fish behaviour on the fish capture process are pointed out. The second chapter deals with the diel shifts between habitats that belong among the most common activities of fish. However, distribution of fish varies also over the long temporal scale and currently has been strongly affected by changing climate. Therefore, the main affects of climate change on the world´s fish populations are introduced using examples from both freshwater and marine environment.

<p>Pelagic fish distribution and diel behaviour patterns were studied in coastal areas in the north-western Baltic Sea Proper to understand more about how fish distribution and behaviour might affect planning and analyses of results of hydroacoustic surveys (Papers I and II). The vertical distribution of fish at night from spring to autumn showed seasonal and annual trends that could be explained by predictable and consistent seasonal changes, e.g., in temperature and stratification. Horizontal fish distributions did not show any trends probably owing to a lack of such seasonal characteristics. The observed vertical fish distribution over the diel cycle showed that hydroacoustic surveys at night were to be preferred over daytime surveys. At night, fish did not school and were generally less aggregated resulting in less variable hydroacoustic backscattering values and a higher percentage of single echo detections. By starting the surveys one hour after sunset and stopping one hour before sunrise, confusion between day- and nighttime behaviour in fish could be avoided. At night, fish occupied mid-water layers to a higher extent than surface and bottom layers, which was beneficial for the quality of the hydroacoustic data, particularly with respect to the hydroacoustic blind and dead zones (i.e. surface and bottom, respectively).</p><p>To quantify seasonal changes in pelagic fish abundance, densities and size distributions, nighttime hydroacoustic surveys were done every second week from spring through autumn in 2000 and 2001 (Paper III). There was a drastic increase in fish abundance and densities that started in early July and peaked in mid-August in both years. Analyses of the hydroacoustic data in relation to gillnet and trawl catches showed that the increase was caused mainly by young-of-the-year (YOY) herring. This age class is commonly not well represented in catches using traditional sampling methods like gillnets and trawling. Consequently, hydroacoustic data that have high precision and accuracy may improve quantitative estimates and our understanding of the biology in coastal nursery areas.</p><p>Baltic herring spawn in coastal areas and the density of metamorphosed YOY individuals may provide an early estimate of year-class strength. By analysing the relationship between parameters known to affect recruitment success and year-class strength in age 2 herring (YCS) a model that predicted herring recruitment was developed (Paper IV). The model explained 93 % of the variation in the number of age 2 herring over the period 1985-2000 and included the parameters YOY densities, climate (North Atlantic Oscillation index) and spawning stock biomass (SSB). Thus YCS could be predicted two years earlier than today and three years before entering the fishery. Up to the present, three new years (2001-2003) have become available for testing the model. For one of these years the predicted YCS was notably different from the assessed YCS. The reason for this is not fully understood, but for all three years SSB was outside the range used in the original model. Including the three new years into the data series resulted in a poorer explanation of the observed recruitment variation (55 %). A comparison of the standardized regression coefficients of both models showed increased significance for the parameter YOY (from 0.47 to 0.61).</p>

Pelagic fish distribution and diel behaviour patterns were studied in coastal areas in the north-western Baltic Sea Proper to understand more about how fish distribution and behaviour might affect planning and analyses of results of hydroacoustic surveys (Papers I and II). The vertical distribution of fish at night from spring to autumn showed seasonal and annual trends that could be explained by predictable and consistent seasonal changes, e.g., in temperature and stratification. Horizontal fish distributions did not show any trends probably owing to a lack of such seasonal characteristics. The observed vertical fish distribution over the diel cycle showed that hydroacoustic surveys at night were to be preferred over daytime surveys. At night, fish did not school and were generally less aggregated resulting in less variable hydroacoustic backscattering values and a higher percentage of single echo detections. By starting the surveys one hour after sunset and stopping one hour before sunrise, confusion between day- and nighttime behaviour in fish could be avoided. At night, fish occupied mid-water layers to a higher extent than surface and bottom layers, which was beneficial for the quality of the hydroacoustic data, particularly with respect to the hydroacoustic blind and dead zones (i.e. surface and bottom, respectively). To quantify seasonal changes in pelagic fish abundance, densities and size distributions, nighttime hydroacoustic surveys were done every second week from spring through autumn in 2000 and 2001 (Paper III). There was a drastic increase in fish abundance and densities that started in early July and peaked in mid-August in both years. Analyses of the hydroacoustic data in relation to gillnet and trawl catches showed that the increase was caused mainly by young-of-the-year (YOY) herring. This age class is commonly not well represented in catches using traditional sampling methods like gillnets and trawling. Consequently, hydroacoustic data that have high precision and accuracy may improve quantitative estimates and our understanding of the biology in coastal nursery areas. Baltic herring spawn in coastal areas and the density of metamorphosed YOY individuals may provide an early estimate of year-class strength. By analysing the relationship between parameters known to affect recruitment success and year-class strength in age 2 herring (YCS) a model that predicted herring recruitment was developed (Paper IV). The model explained 93 % of the variation in the number of age 2 herring over the period 1985-2000 and included the parameters YOY densities, climate (North Atlantic Oscillation index) and spawning stock biomass (SSB). Thus YCS could be predicted two years earlier than today and three years before entering the fishery. Up to the present, three new years (2001-2003) have become available for testing the model. For one of these years the predicted YCS was notably different from the assessed YCS. The reason for this is not fully understood, but for all three years SSB was outside the range used in the original model. Including the three new years into the data series resulted in a poorer explanation of the observed recruitment variation (55 %). A comparison of the standardized regression coefficients of both models showed increased significance for the parameter YOY (from 0.47 to 0.61).

<p>Fisheries agencies around the Baltic Sea use hydroacoustics to assess stock sizes of herring and sprat. These assessments rely on the assumption that the acoustic properties of Baltic clupeids are the same as North Sea herring. This may lead to biased results, as system-specific differences in salinity and fish fat content may influence acoustic target strength. The acoustic properties of the Baltic clupeids were explored and a new relationship between target strength and fish length was developed (paper I). The intercept of this new relationship is 3.4 dB higher than normally used by the agencies. Applying this new relationship would reduce the acoustic stock biomass estimates by approximately 50%.</p><p>Diel variation in the vertical distribution of fish may influence acoustic abundance estimates. Fish body posture may influence target strength and if fish concentrate near the surface or bottom this may affect detectability by an echo sounder. A seabed-mounted, upward pinging echo sounder was used to study diel variation in vertical distribution, acoustic size distribution and abundance of fish (Paper II). Differences between day and night were substantial and it was concluded that night time acoustics are to be preferred, at least in our study area. The seabed-mounted echo sounder was also used to study fish swimming activity and vertical distribution in relation to light intensity and water temperature (paper III). Four phases of fish distribution were distinguished over the diel cycle (day, night, dawn and dusk). Acoustic tracking was used to estimate the swimming speed of individual fish. The speed varied among the diel periods and the greatest difference was observed between day and night with twice as high swimming speed during the day. Regression models were developed to investigate the effects of fish size and environmental factors (water temperature, light intensity at the sea surface and<i> in situ</i>, measured at the depth of the fish) on swimming speed. Fish size, light intensities and temperature were all significant variables in the models, with fish size being generally most important. These results have clear implications for fish bioenergetics models. Such models should account for seasonal, light-driven cycles in the activity-induced respiration estimates, in particular when modelling populations at high latitudes.</p><p>Vertical and horizontal fish distributions were studied from spring through autumn during two consecutive years (paper IV). The seasonal dynamics in vertical distribution patterns were consistent between years. Prior to thermocline formation, fish of all sizes concentrated near surface where water temperatures were higher than in the underlying water mass. During the summer period of pronounced thermal stratification, larger fish were found deeper than small individuals (including young-of-the-year fish), which remained close to the surface. In the autumn, when the thermal stratification diminished, the small fish moved somewhat deeper while larger individuals dispersed throughout the water column. Fish showed clear horizontal patchiness, but horizontal distributions were not significantly related to wind directions.</p>

Fisheries agencies around the Baltic Sea use hydroacoustics to assess stock sizes of herring and sprat. These assessments rely on the assumption that the acoustic properties of Baltic clupeids are the same as North Sea herring. This may lead to biased results, as system-specific differences in salinity and fish fat content may influence acoustic target strength. The acoustic properties of the Baltic clupeids were explored and a new relationship between target strength and fish length was developed (paper I). The intercept of this new relationship is 3.4 dB higher than normally used by the agencies. Applying this new relationship would reduce the acoustic stock biomass estimates by approximately 50%. Diel variation in the vertical distribution of fish may influence acoustic abundance estimates. Fish body posture may influence target strength and if fish concentrate near the surface or bottom this may affect detectability by an echo sounder. A seabed-mounted, upward pinging echo sounder was used to study diel variation in vertical distribution, acoustic size distribution and abundance of fish (Paper II). Differences between day and night were substantial and it was concluded that night time acoustics are to be preferred, at least in our study area. The seabed-mounted echo sounder was also used to study fish swimming activity and vertical distribution in relation to light intensity and water temperature (paper III). Four phases of fish distribution were distinguished over the diel cycle (day, night, dawn and dusk). Acoustic tracking was used to estimate the swimming speed of individual fish. The speed varied among the diel periods and the greatest difference was observed between day and night with twice as high swimming speed during the day. Regression models were developed to investigate the effects of fish size and environmental factors (water temperature, light intensity at the sea surface and in situ, measured at the depth of the fish) on swimming speed. Fish size, light intensities and temperature were all significant variables in the models, with fish size being generally most important. These results have clear implications for fish bioenergetics models. Such models should account for seasonal, light-driven cycles in the activity-induced respiration estimates, in particular when modelling populations at high latitudes. Vertical and horizontal fish distributions were studied from spring through autumn during two consecutive years (paper IV). The seasonal dynamics in vertical distribution patterns were consistent between years. Prior to thermocline formation, fish of all sizes concentrated near surface where water temperatures were higher than in the underlying water mass. During the summer period of pronounced thermal stratification, larger fish were found deeper than small individuals (including young-of-the-year fish), which remained close to the surface. In the autumn, when the thermal stratification diminished, the small fish moved somewhat deeper while larger individuals dispersed throughout the water column. Fish showed clear horizontal patchiness, but horizontal distributions were not significantly related to wind directions.

[pt] Uma solução simples, de baixo custo e robusta, para o problema de multipercursos na comunicação acústica submarina em águas profundas, é apresentada. Inicialmente, uma caracterização do perfil de atrasos e do nível de ruído, em ambientes de exploração de petróleo Offshore é feita, com o objetivo de definir as características do canal de comunicação em questão. A técnica de modulação, considerada mais adequada pela sua simplicidade e robustez, é a FSK. A inadequação de um sistema FSK-2 não coerente, sem nenhuma medida contra o multipercurso é comprovada em resultados experimentais. Duas possíveis soluções para o problema de demodulação de sinais FSK-2 com multipercurso são apresentadas. Uma muito simples, baseada na inserção de tempos de guarda entre dois bits, suficientes para o desaparecimento dos multipercursos, que foi implementada e testada. A outra, mais elaborada, baseada na estimação dos parâmetros do canal, através do algoritmo EM, e da análise de particularidades do problema para o caso de três raios. Essa segunda solução é analisada e simulada em computador. Os resultados para as duas soluções são analisados. / [en] A simple, low-cost and robust for the problem of multipath in underwater acoustic communication in deep water, is presented. Initially, a delay profile and noise level characterization, in offshore oil exploitation environments is done, with the objective of defining the communication channel of interest. The modulation techique, considered adequate by means of its simplicity and robustness is FSK. The non adequacy of an non-coherent FSK-2 system, without any contermeasure againt multipath is showed in experimental results. Two possible solutions to the problem of the demodulation of FSK-2 signals with multipath are presented. One very simple, based on the insertion of guard times between the bits, sufficient to the vanishing of the multipaths, that have been implemented and tested. The other, more elaborated, based in the estimation of the channel parameters, with the EM algorithm, and the analysis of some particularities of the problem, for the case of three rays. The second solution is analyzed and simulated in a computer. The results for both solutions are analyzed.

The heterogeneity provided by structured habitats is important in supporting diverse and dense fish communities. The biogenic reefs created by the native Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, were once the dominant structural habitat in Chesapeake Bay, and have since declined to less than 1% of historic estimates. Conflicting results on the effects of oyster reef restoration on pelagic fish assemblages make further investigation necessary. Incorporating multiple sampling strategies may help elucidate oyster reef habitat influence on fish assemblages. This study used multi-panel gillnets, hydroacoustic technology, and day-night sampling to describe pelagic fish assemblages on and off oyster reef habitat in the lower Piankatank River, VA. Data from oyster reef habitat, adjacent sandy-mud bottom habitat, and unstructured sandy habitat outside of a reef restoration area compared fish diversity, species composition, and density among habitat types. A multivariate analysis using day of the year, day or night, and habitat type as model terms found temporal factors explained variation in fish distribution more than habitat. Fish diversity varied significantly with day or night and habitat type. Diversity and density were significantly higher at night, demonstrating the necessity of nocturnal sampling in fish assemblage research. Results from this study conclude that fish assemblages were not significantly more diverse or denser on reef than non-reef habitat. We suggest that future work should concentrate on studying areas where oyster reef habitat comprises a larger proportion of the study area.

The anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is dependent on river connectivity to reach spawning and rearing habitats in rivers. Most rivers are today fragmented by artificial barriers such as hydroelectric powerplants (HEP) which impede this migratory movement. As an effort to mitigate river fragmentation, upstream passages have been built at some impediments, but passage facilitating downstream migration has been commonly disregarded until recently. The increased mortality associated with downstream movement through hydroelectric turbines have caused population declines and extirpation in some areas. A common first measure to improve downstream passage is to increase spill discharge during critical time periods. In this study we aim to evaluate the efficiency of increased spill as a management tool and investigate the effect on environmental and physiological factors on fish passage in River Mörrumsån, Sweden. This was done by tracking salmon smolt using high resolution acoustic telemetry and time-to-event models. The results were then further explored in relation to 2D-hydraulic models of different spill scenarios. The results show that increasing the spill at Upper Hemsjö HEP resulted in a relatively high impediment passage efficiency. Spill gate passage was best explained by the proportion of spill in relation to intake channel discharge and diel period. Increased spill and nights without ambient lights where positively associated with spill gate passage rate. Increased levels of spill seamed to increase the attraction to the spill gate passage zone which could be explained by the increased area of flow directed toward the spill gate observed in the hydraulic model, showing the usefulness of hydraulic models as an additional tool in evaluation and planning of remedial measures. The result in this study shows that increased spill can be an effective way to ameliorate river fragmentation, however this should be put in relation to the goal of the mitigation measure as increased spill only creates a temporary solution for a permanent problem. / Den anadroma Atlantlaxen (Salmo salar) är beroende av fria vandringsvägar mellan hav och älv, då de nyttjar olika habitat under olika delar av livscykeln. Laxen vandra mellan dess tillväxt område i havet och deras parnings samt uppväxt område i älvar. Det flesta vattendrag är i dag fragmenterade av artificiella barriärer som tillexempel vattenkraftverk. För att minska de negativa effekterna av dessa har uppströmspassager konstruerats, men passage för nedströmsvandring har ofta åsidosatts. Den ökade dödligheten associerad med nedströmspassage genom vattenkraftturbiner har haft kraftig påverkan på många populationer. En vanlig första åtgärd för att förbättra nedströmspassagen är att öka mängden vatten som spills under kritiska perioder, som laxsmoltens nedströmsvandring under våren. Målet med denna studie är att utvärdera ökat spill som en förvaltningsåtgärd och analyserar hur olika miljöfaktorer och fysiologiska faktorer påverkar passageeffektiviteten för nedströmsmigrerande smolt. Detta undersöktes genom att använda högupplöst hydroakustisk telemetri för att spåra fisken och genom att analysera rörelsen med hjälp av time-to-event modeller. Tvådimensionella hydrauliska modeller skapades för att ytterligare utforska resultaten i förhållande till olika spill regimer. Den ökade spill regimen resulterade i relativt hög passage effektivitet förbi hindret. Passage genom spill porten kunde bäst förklaras av period på dygnet samt proportionen av spill i förhållande till flödet genom intagskanalen. Ökad passage effektivitet kunde associeras med passage under natten när belysningen på dammen var avstängd samt ökad andel spill i förhållande till flödet genom intagaskanalen. Ökat spill verkade resultera i ökad attraktion till området framför spill porten, vilket skulle kunna förklaras av den ökade ytan av vatten som rör sig mot spill porten som observerades i den hydrauliska modellen. Dessa resultat visar hur hydrauliskmodellering kan användas som ytterligare ett förvaltningsverktyg för att utvärdera eller planera förbättringsåtgärder. Resultaten Vidare indikerar studien att ökat spill är en metod som kan förbättrar laxsmoltens möjligheter till nedströms passage, detta bör dock sättas i relation till vad som är målet med åtgärden, ökat spill gynnar ett fåtal arter under en begränsad tid på året. Således kvarstår problemet med begränsad konnektivitet i vattendraget under resterande delar av året.

No description available.

Control of radiated acoustic noise is vital to the survivability and the detectability of submersible watercraft. Two primary sources of radiated fluid noise in submersible vessels are the boundary layer turbulence along the forebody and propulsor fluid-structure interaction. The propulsor contains several locations of such interaction, one of which was investigated in this research. Specifically, this research focused on experimentally investigating active flow control techniques to reduce rotor-stator interaction noise sources. Two of the three flow control configurations applied to the flow involved the application of active flow control to the leading edge of a single exit guide vane (EGV) mounted downstream of a seven-bladed rotor. The leading edge blowing configuration (LEB) consisted of a single jet expelled from the leading edge of the EGV against the oncoming flow. This interaction between the wake and jet should offset or disrupt the coherency of any incoming flow structures. The second active flow control method applied to the EGV involved a tangential blowing configuration (TB) where two symmetric tangential jets were used to create an insulating fluid layer that reduced the effect of passing flow structures on the EGV. The final flow control design was the implementation of trailing edge wake filling on a three bladed rotor. A rotor was designed to ingest lower velocity flow from the hub and pump the fluid out of a blowing slot at the blade trailing edge. The blowing slot was concentrated on the outer third of the blade span in order to maximize pumping effect. In order to quantify the effects of the active flow control techniques on rotor-stator interaction, the fluctuating lift force on the EGV was measured. Since this fluctuating force serves as a primary acoustic source, the effects of the active flow control on the radiated interaction sound can be estimated. These active flow control techniques were intended for reduction of blade passing frequency tonal sound radiation. The LEB configuration showed minor changes in overall spectral response; however, there was no significant reduction in forcing at the BPF measured. Similarly the TB configuration also yielded no measurable change in BPF tonal forcing. The first generation design of the self-pumping rotor also proved to have problems. Experiments showed that the application of the flow control on the self-pumping rotor did not generate the expected increase in torque demand or changes in the tonal forcing on the EGV. Field alterations to the rotor were unable to improve the performance; therefore, the conclusion became that the initial design was unable to pump fluid due to excessive pressure losses. Further design iterations are required to perfect the functionality of the self-pumping rotor. / Master of Science