Echosounders for Fish

The BioSonics DT-X  Digital Scientific Echosounder is designed for a wide range of fisheries, marine life and oceanographic assessment applications.  For over thirty years, BioSonics scientific echosounders have been used in oceans, lakes, rivers, and at hydropower dams, estuaries, navigation locks, or anywhere accurate assessment of fish abundance, distribution or behavior is required.  The portable, versatile and rugged design makes it suitable for use in every aquatic environment imaginable, from remote mountain lake deployments to permanent multiple transducer deployments on marine research vessels.  Physical oceanographers also use our systems to study ocean mixing and a variety of other physical properties.

Hardware for Fish and Marine Life Assessment

The components of a basic echosounder system for fisheries research in a typical mobile survey deployment include:

• a BioSonics DT-X Digital Scientific Echosounder with BioSonics Visual Acquisition^TM data collection software,
• one or more DT-X Digital Single or Split Beam Transducers, with an optional Integrated Heading Pitch and Roll Sensor,
• one or more Digital Signal Cables,
• a Transducer Mount or a BioFin Dead Weight Towing Vehicle,
• a Standard Calibration Sphere (tungsten carbide)
• a Computer – we recommend the rugged Panasonic ToughBook Computer for the ultimate in reliable performance in outdoor conditions.  BioSonics is an authorized reseller of Panasonic ToughBook Computers.

Software for Fish and Marine Life Assessment

Hydroacoustic assessment begins with data acquisition using BioSonics Visual Acquisition Software, which is included with the purchase of the DT-X Digital Scientific Echosounder.

BioSonics Visual Analyzer^TM

BioSonics Visual Analyzer is the essential solution for accurate assessment of fish and plankton stocks and for hydroacoustic data interpretation and visualization. BioSonics Visual Analyzer displays a color echogram for each data file produced by the DT-X Series Echosounder.  BioSonics Visual Analyzer provides access to information about fish location, quantity, size, behavior, and biomass.  Analysis techniques can be expanded to provide details on individual fish behavior and movement.  Visual Analyzer results can be read directly into a GIS or other application for further analysis and mapping.

BioSonics also offers advanced, automated processing software solutions for real-time monitoring needs.  For more information, see Automated Monitoring Systems.