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 July 09, 2008 |
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July 09, 2008 |
Welcome to the BioSonics Newsletter, Soundings. Summer field season is in full swing and we’ve been working closely with many of our users; reviewing study plans, checking system calibrations, and gearing up for a variety of interesting hydroacoustic projects. Our own scientific team has been on the road extensively, conducting demonstrations, mobile surveys, and installing hydroacoustic monitoring systems coast to coast and as far north as Manitoba, Canada, and the Yukon River in Alaska.
The recent launch of our new Website has been very well received, with many positive comments from visitors. Let us know if you are interested in announcing your publications and sharing your hydroacoustic case studies on our Website in the popular Resources section.
We stand ready to offer our support, and we wish you the best of luck for a safe and successful field season.
Tim Acker, President and CEO
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BioSonics DT-Xu™ Deployed With The NEPTUNE Canada Cabled Ocean Observatory |
July 09, 2008 |
BioSonics has delivered an advanced scientific sonar system to The North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiment (NEPTUNE) Canada cabled ocean observatory. Led by the University of Victoria, NEPTUNE Canada will become the world’s largest cable-linked seafloor observatory. The three-frequency scientific echosounder system will be deployed from the observatory’s first node in Folger Passage in summer 2009. This scientific sonar system will be used to actively monitor the water column and is capable of receiving echoes from a wide variety of targets, from zooplankton to marine mammals.  The custom BioSonics DT-Xu™ is a 3-frequency, digital scientific echosounder system set for deployment on the world’s largest cable-linked ocean sea floor observatory. This will be the first node to be deployed and will be installed at Folger Passage. Several instruments will be connected to this node, including active (BioSonics) and passive acoustics, optical sensors, and other chemical, biological, and physical sensors.  Eventually, there will be other nodes installed at various locations along the cable route with additional instruments for specific experiments and monitoring activities. All of these sensors will provide real-time, streaming data to the Port Alberni Shore Station and to the University of Victoria (NEPTUNE Canada’s Operations and Data Centre) where the data will be available to project scientists and to scientists from all over the world via the Internet!
System configuration and testing will be conducted between now and actual deployment, scheduled for summer 2009. Check the NEPTUNE Canada web site for more updated information.
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User News |
July 09, 2008 |
Innovative Orca Prey Research Underway at Beam Reach School The Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School is one of the many progressive educational programs available in the Puget Sound (Salish Sea) region. The focus at Beam Reach is the study of the critical marine and environmental issues on the Salish Sea. They have recently begun using a BioSonics DT-X Digital Scientific Echosounder system to aid in their research related to prey-species abundance and distribution for marine mammals and for eelgrass distribution. They are making this system available to students and staff for both short and long-term observation and study of Orca and forage fish interaction. The above photo of Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island, Washington, was taken by Brian Moore of BioSonics. Click here and here to read first-hand accounts of recent surveys by Beam Reach students.
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USGS Studies Endangered Species Habitat in Puget Sound |
July 09, 2008 |
The US Geological Survey (USGS) recently conducted two hydroacoustic studies in Puget Sound, utilizing the BioSonics DT-X as their primary data collection instrument. The first survey looked at eelgrass, a critical habitat for salmon (which are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act list), while the second focused on substrate and circulation. The project leaders, Eric Grossman and Andrew Stevens, were impressed with the ease of use, ability to cover large areas with high resolution in a short period of time, and the data quality. They also found that the 420kHz frequency provided information on the particulate concentrations in the water column.
They used other technologies, in combination with hydroacoustics, to both compare results and to develop a rich understanding of the interaction of the physical and biological components of the Puget Sound environment.
Both of these publications are available online:
Evaluation of a Single-Beam Sonar System to Map Seagrass at Two Sites in Northern Puget Sound, Washington
Bathymetry, Substrate and Circulation in Westcott Bay, San Juan Islands, Washington
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Black Rockfish Project Successful in "Predicting" Fish Location |
July 09, 2008 |
 During the 2008 Marine Geological and Biological Habitat Mapping (GEOHAB) Symposium, Dan Urban, who works for The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries in Kodiak, Alaska, presented the results of his recent work with black rockfish. His presentation, entitled "Modeling Rockfish Distributions Using Hydroacoustics and High Resolution Bathymetry" highlights the use of hydroacoustics to both measure and link physical habitat characteristics with black rockfish distribution. He also provided insights into the connection of split beam and multibeam information in GIS applications to better explain and study these relationships.
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Recent Publications by BioSonics Users |
July 09, 2008 |
How Systematic Age Underestimation Can Impede Understanding of Fish Population Dynamics: Lessons Learned from a Lake Superior Cisco Stock 2008. Daniel L. Yule, Jason D. Stockwell, Jeff A. Black, Ken I. Cullis, Gary A. Cholwek, Jared T. Myers. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society .
Vertical Distribution of Fish Biomass in Lake Superior: Implications for Day Bottom Trawl Surveys 2007. Jason D. Stockwell, Daniel L. Yule, Thomas R. Hrabik, Jean V. Adams, Owen T. Gorman, Beth V. Holbrook. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.
Bathymetry, Substrate, and Circulation in Westcott Bay, San Juan Islands, Washington 2007. Eric Grossman, Andrew Stevens, Chris Curran, Collin Smith, and Andrew Schwartz. US Geological Survey.
Bathymetric Survey of John Redmond Reservoir, Coffey County, Kansas 2007. Kansas Biological Survey. Applied Science and Technology for Reservoir Assessment (ASTRA).
Browse other recent publications by BioSonics users!
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Upcoming Conferences and Meetings |
July 09, 2008 |
BioSonics is in full swing of another busy season filled with Trade Shows, Conferences and international and domestic travel. We had a great time at both: The North Pacific International Chapter (NPIC) of the American Fisheries Society Meeting held in March, and at The 2008 Western Division AFS Annual Meeting (co-hosted by the Oregon Chapter of AFS) in May. Thanks to all who attended our successful BioSonics Hydroacoustic Assessment Workshop held at the start of the WDAFS/ORAFS Meeting!  We have most recently returned from beautiful Bergen, Norway for the ICES SEAFACTS International Symposium, in June. It was great to see many of you there!
In July, we are looking forward to the HydroVision 2008 Conference, located in Sacramento, California. This exciting, biennial event offers a week of educational meetings, exhibits and workshops focusing on topics such as kinetic hydropower, tidal and wave energy, and traditional dam and hydropower applications. You will find us at booth #732, and our staff will be participating in Session 3D (Briefings): A Series of Reports on Advancing Ocean, Tidal, and Stream Power Technologies and Applications, as well as in Session 2H2: Improving Conditions for Fish Passage. Be sure to attend and hear about the most recent applications of advanced hydroacoustic tools.  |
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Meetings, Workshops & Conferences of Interest to Hydroacoustics Users |
July 09, 2008 |
Please let us know if you will be participating in these, or other workshops and conferences; we would be pleased to list them here.
BioSonics will be attending the conferences designated with this symbol: " "
Please stop by and visit our booth at the Exhibition!
2008
July 7 - 11 11th International Coral Reef Symposium Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
July 13 - 16 Aquatic Plant Management Society Annual Meeting Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
July 14 - 18 HydroVision 2008 Sacramento, California, USA. Booth #732!
August 17 - 21 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Booth #216!
August 25 - 29 Fourth International Symposium on GIS/Spatial Analyses in Fishery and Aquatic Sciences Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
August 31 - September 6 International Seagrass Biology Workshop Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada.
September 8 - 11 Great Lakes Acoustic SOP Workshop Charlevoix, Michigan, USA.
September 28 - October 2 Canadian Dam Association Annual Conference Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
September 30 - October 1 Washington Lakes Association Arlington, Washington, USA.
September 30 - October 3 OceanTech Expo Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
October 20 - 24 World Fisheries Congress Yokohama, Japan.
October 20 - 22 BioSonics Hydroacoustic Assessment Workshop Seattle, Washington, USA.
November 3 - 5 Canadian Hydropower Association Forum on Hydropower Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
November 11 - 14 North American Lake Management Society Annual Conference Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.
2009
July 27 - 30 Waterpower XVI Spokane, Washington, USA. Booth #4014!
August 30 - September 3 American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
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GSA Pricing for Federal Users |
July 09, 2008 |
BioSonics (Contract # GS-24F-0034M) has been a GSA contractor since 2002. GSA Advantage is the US government's central online shopping superstore. GSA Advantage provides qualified buyers with online access to millions of products and services from thousands of federal contractors. Using GSA Advantage ensures that you are getting GSA-negotiated prices, and dealing with GSA-approved sources.
Use GSA Advantage! to:
- Search for items using keywords, part numbers, national stock numbers, supplier names, contract numbers, etc.;
- Compare features, prices, and delivery options;
- Configure products and add accessories;
- Place orders directly online;
- Review delivery options;
- Select a convenient payment method;
- View order history to track status, reorder, or cancel.
Click on the GSA Advantage! logo, simplify your equipment acquisition AND receive your GSA discount!
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Newsletter Information |
July 09, 2008 |
BioSonics, Inc., Leading the way in Advanced Scientific Digital Hydroacoustics, and providing the aquatic and marine resource community with scientific grade instrumentation and software, consulting, and support since 1978. BioSonics is the trusted name in hydroacoustics, known for the quality of our products and the depth of our client support.
BioSonics is ready to serve you by providing equipment, software, support, and consulting services for underwater assessment and monitoring. We continue to provide innovative products and services for research and management of the aquatic environment, based on sound science and input from our users.
We look forward to working with you on your next hydroacoustic application.
Published by:  BioSonics, Inc.
4027 Leary Way NW
Seattle, WA 98107
U.S.A.
Tel: (206) 782-2211
FAX: (206) 782-2244
Editor: Bob McClure, E-mail: Click Here
©Copyright 2008, BioSonics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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