Fish Bioacoustics and Behavior: Passive Acoustic Detection and the Application of a Closed-Circuit Rebreather for Field Study

The simple thesis of this paper is that using rebreathers to study fish behavioral ecology, especially bioacoustics, is well worth the expense and additional training required. The scientific goal of my bioacoustic research is to determine which fishes produce species-specific sound patterns exclusively with explicit acts of courtship and mating. This provides scientific insight into evolutionary and ecological processes and also provides data necessary to develop the passive acoustic detection technology for monitoring fish reproduction. When used on a daily basis, rebreathers, in my experience, are economical and as practical as open circuit scuba. This is based both on the costs of diving as well as the efficiency of gathering useful data. The use of open circuit SCUBA while conducting acoustic recordings results in a loss of at least 40% of the data due to the bubble noise from a divers breathing. Rebreathers also provide extended bottom time, especially in shallow water, which enhances a diverʹs ability to observe fish and gather acoustic-behavioral data.