This presentation was given by Kevin Kumagai, Senior Fisheries Biologist at HTI Hydroacoustic Technology at the American Fisheries Society's Annual Meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas in September 2013. Overview: Acoustic tags can provide information about fish populations. For example, presence/absence of fish. If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of precision, these detections can assess fish behavior. Example behaviors include: moving toward and away, holding, downstream migration, searching, fish passage, predator avoidance, predation, simultaneous tags, tag defection. The HTI Predation Tag verifies predation via a unique modification in the tag signal while maintaining individual fish ID. It provides a tool to directly measure predation and allows evaluation of behavior-based predation techniques. Currently in testing by CDWR and BOR in 2013 (Afentoulis et al., 2013), it is being field tested in 2014. Being able to monitor predation dynamics, especially as it relates to threatened or endangered species (e.g., salmonids) will provide tremendous insights to better fisheries management.

1. Assessing Fish Behavior Using Acoustic
Telemetry Methods
Kevin Kumagai, Colleen Sullivan, and Sam Johnston
HTI - Hydroacoustic Technology, Inc.
143rd Annual Meeting of AFS
September 12, 2013, 9 AM, Hoffman
Little Rock, AR

2. Overview
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish populations. For
example, presence/absence.
• If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of precision, these
detections can assess fish behavior.
• Example behaviors include:
• Moving towards and away
• Holding
• Downstream migration
• Searching
• Fish passage
• Predator avoidance
• Predation
• Simultaneous tags
• Tag defecation

3. Acoustic tags = information
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish
populations. For example, presence/absence.

4. Single hydrophone deployments
• Can provide presence/absence
Hydrophone 1
Upstream
Barrier
Downstream
Hydrophone 12

5. Detection histories
• Are chronology of time-stamped tag detections

6. Fish survival and fish passage
• Can be measured from the these detection histories

7. Uniform spacing, high precision: fish
behavior
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish
populations.
• If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of
precision, these detections can assess fish behavior.
Tag ID encoded in unique period
(adapted from Ehrenberg and Steig, 2009)

8. Acoustically tagged fish movement animation
created by G.Tritt (HTI) circa 2004

9. Display 1

10. Display 2

11. Display 3

12. Display 4

13. Display 5

14. Display 6

15. Display 7

16. Single hydrophone example behaviors
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish
populations.
• If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of
precision, these detections can assess fish behavior.
• Behaviors in this example include:
• Moving toward and away
• Holding

17. Single upstream hydrophone example
moving toward and away
Time increasing

18. Single downstream hydrophone example
moving toward and away
Time increasing

19. Moving toward and away
Time increasing

20. Single hydrophone example behaviors
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish
populations.
• If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of
precision, these detections can assess fish behavior.
• Behaviors in this example include:
• Moving toward and away
• Holding

21. Single hydrophone example holding behavior
Time duration 1 hour

22. Hydrophone
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Basic Tracking
Flow

23. Nearest Green Hydrophone

24. Nearest Maroon Hydrophone

25. Nearest Orange Hydrophone

26. Nearest Turquoise Hydrophone

27. Nearest Yellow Hydrophone

28. Nearest Blue Hydrophone

29. Hydrophone Detections: Summary
Time duration 20 plus minutes

30. 2D tracks example behaviors
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish
populations.
• If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of
precision, these detections can assess fish behavior.
• Behaviors in this example include:
• Holding
• Downstream migration
• Searching
• Fish passage
• Predator avoidance

31. Multiple hydrophone deployments
Downstream
Upstream
Barrier
Time Slider
Steelhead 2D positions(green)
Striped bass 2D positions(red)
Sun and moon gadget

32. Holding, 23:03-23:04
Tagged striped bass (red spheres) holding between blue and yellow
hydrophones. Data courtesy of CDWR.

33. Holding, 23:04-23:05
Tagged striped bass continues holding. Steelhead tag (light green
spheres) approaching array below pink and green hydrophones. Data
courtesy of CDWR.

34. Downstream migration, 23:05-23:06
Steelhead tag continues moving downstream through upstream array.
Striped bass continues to hold. Data courtesy of CDWR.

35. Downstream migration, 23:06-23:07
Steelhead tag approaching barrier while striped bass continues to hold.
Data courtesy of CDWR.

36. Searching, 23:07-23:08
Steelhead tag begins searching along barrier. Striped bass continues to
hold. Data courtesy of CDWR.

37. Searching, 23:08-23:09
Steelhead tag continues searching along barrier. Striped bass continues
to hold. Data courtesy of CDWR.

38. Searching, 23:09-23:10
Steelhead tag continues searching along barrier. Striped bass continues
to hold. Data courtesy of CDWR.

39. Searching, 23:10-23:11
Steelhead tag continues searching along barrier. Striped bass continues
to hold. Data courtesy of CDWR.

40. Fish passage, 23:11-23:12
Steelhead tag passes barrier via culvert. Striped bass continues to hold.
Data courtesy of CDWR.

41. Fish passage, 23:12-23:13
Steelhead tag continues past barrier. Striped bass continues to hold.
Data courtesy of CDWR.

42. Fish passage, 23:13-23:14
Steelhead tag continues past barrier. Striped bass begins to move. Data
courtesy of CDWR.

43. Predator avoidance, 23:14-23:15
As steelhead tag passes over striped bass, steelhead tag appears to
avoid bass moving counter-clockiwse. Striped bass also moves
downstream. Data courtesy of CDWR.

44. Predator avoidance, 23:15-23:16
Steelhead tag continues circling counter-clockwise as striped bass
moves slightly downstream. Data courtesy of CDWR.

45. Predator avoidance, 23:16-23:17
Steelhead tag continues circling counter-clockwise as striped bass
moves slightly downstream. Data courtesy of CDWR.

46. Predator avoidance, 23:17-23:18
Steelhead tag continues circling counter-clockwise as striped bass
moves slightly downstream. Data courtesy of CDWR.

47. Predator avoidance, 23:18-23:19
Steelhead tag continues circling counter-clockwise as striped bass
moves slightly downstream. Data courtesy of CDWR.

48. Predator avoidance, 23:19-23:20
Steelhead tag appears to avoid striped bass again as passes by. Data
courtesy of CDWR.

49. Predator avoidance, 23:20-23:21
Both tags moving downstream. Data courtesy of CDWR.

50. Predator avoidance, 23:21-23:22
Steelhead tag leaves downstream. Striped bass holding further
downstream. Data courtesy of CDWR.

51. Summary 2D tracks

52. 2D tracks example behaviors
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish
populations.
• If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of
precision, these detections can assess fish behavior.
• Behaviors in this example include:
• Predation
• Simultaneous tags
• Tag defecation

53. Overview: predation and simultaneous tags
Downstream
Upstream
Barrier
Time Slider
Steelhead 2D positions(green)
Striped bass 2D positions(red)
Sun and moon gadget
Tagged striped bass (red spheres) consumed tagged dead chinook (blue
spheres) and the two tags swim simultaneouly for almost two days. Data
courtesy of BOR.

54. Striped bass, 6/21/13 10:05-10:10
Tagged striped bass (red spheres) in primary channel. Data courtesy of
BOR.

55. Striped bass, 6/21/13 10:10-10:15
Tagged striped bass (red spheres) in primary channel. Data courtesy of
BOR.

56. Predation, 6/21/13 10:15-10:20
Tagged striped bass (red spheres) consumes dead chinook (blue
spheres) approximately 6/21/13 10:20. Data courtesy of BOR.

57. Simultaneous tags, 6/21/13 10:20-10:25
Two tags are simultaneous for almost two days. Data courtesy of BOR.

58. Simultaneous tags continues for almost two
days, 6/23/13 9:10-9:15
Simultaneous tags together for almost two days. Data courtesy of BOR.

59. Tag defecation, 9:15-9:20
Chinook tag (blue spheres) defecated approximately 6/23/13 9:15:39.
Data courtesy of BOR.

60. Separate tags, 9:20-9:25
Striped bass continues moving around primary channel while chinook
tag stationary. Data courtesy of BOR.

61. Separate tags, 9:25-9:30
Striped bass moving around primary channel while chinook tag
stationary. Data courtesy of BOR.

62. Separate tags, 9:30-9:35
Striped bass continues moving around primary channel while chinook
tag stationary. Data courtesy of BOR.

63. Separate tags, 9:35-9:40
Striped bass continues moving around primary channel while chinook
tag stationary. Data courtesy of BOR.

64. Separate tags, 9:40-9:45
Striped bass continues moving around primary channel while chinook
tag stationary. Data courtesy of BOR.

65. Defecation Summary
Data courtesy of BOR.

66. Single hydrophone: tag defecation
Time duration 1 hour

67. Multiple hydrophones: tag defecation
Time duration 1 hour

68. Summary
• Acoustic tags can provide information about fish populations. For
example, presence/absence.
• If detections are uniformly spaced to a high level of precision, these
detections can assess fish behavior.
• Example behaviors include:
• Moving towards and away
• Holding
• Downstream migration
• Searching
• Fish passage
• Predator avoidance
• Predation
• Simultaneous tags
• Tag defecation

69. Current R&D: HTI Predation Tag
• Verifies predation via a unique
modification in the tag signal while
maintaining individual fish ID
• Provides a tool to directly measure
predation
• Allows evaluation of behavior-based
predation techniques
• Laboratory testing by CDWR and
BOR in 2013 (Afentoulis et al., 2013)
• Field testing planned for 2014
Image Courtesy of FISHBIO
* Patent pending

70. References
• Afentoulis, V.B., M.N. Johnson, A.A. Schultz, and C.J. Yip. 2013. Predation
Tag Efficacy. Research proposal document. Property of the California
Department of Water Resources, Bay Delta Office.
• Ehrenberg, J. E., and Steig, T. W. 2009. A study of the relationship between
tag-signal characteristics and achievable performances in acoustic fish-tag
studies. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 1278–1283.
• Kumagai, K.K. In prep. Acoustic tag detections and tracking of fish
predation and tag defecation at the Tracy Fish Collection Facility in 2013.
Report to Bureau of Reclamation, Byron, Calif., by Hydroacoustic
Technology, Inc., Seattle, Wash.
• Tunnicliffe, C., K.K. Kumagai, and S.V. Johnston. 2011. Two-dimensional
fish tracking study in the Old River at Tracy barrier in 2011. Report to
California Department of Water Resources, Sacramento, Calif., by
Hydroacoustic Technology, Inc., Seattle, Wash.

71. Acknowledgments
• California Department of Water Resources
(V. Afentoulis, K. Clark, M. Johnson, J. McQuirk, J. Miranda,
C. Yip)
• Bureau of Reclamation
(B. Bridges, K. Carp, R. Reyes, A. Schultz, B. Wu)

72. Animations/Questions
Kevin Kumagai, Colleen Sullivan, and Sam Johnston
HTI - Hydroacoustic Technology, Inc.
For more information: www.htisonar.com