title: A small long-life acoustic transmitter for studying the behavior of aquatic animals.
abstract: Acoustic telemetry is an important tool for studying the behavior of aquatic animals and assessing the environmental impact of structures such as hydropower facilities. However, the physical size, signal intensity, and service life of off-the-shelf transmitters are presently insufficient for monitoring certain species. In this study, we developed a small, long-life acoustic transmitter with an approximate length of 24.2 mm, diameter of 5.0 mm, and dry weight of 0.72 g. The transmitter generates a coded acoustic signal at 416.7 kHz with a selectable source level between 159 and 163 dB relative to 1 μPa at 1 m, allowing a theoretical detection range of up to 500 m. The expected operational lifetime is 1 yr at a pulse rate interval of 15 s. The new technology makes long-term acoustic telemetry studies of small fish possible, and is being deployed for a long-term tracking of juvenile sturgeon.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: Z D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Myjak
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99332, USA.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Cartmell
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D013686:Telemetry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods