GRANT
NUMBER:
NA36FD0098
NMFS NUMBER: 92-NER-040
REPORT
TITLE:
Investigation and Development of an Active Acoustic Deterrent
for Harbor Porpoises and the Gillnet Fishery
AUTHOR:
Baldwin, Kenneth C.
PUBLISH
DATE: April
1, 1995
AVAILABLE
FROM:
National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Region, One
Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298. PHONE:
(978) 281-9256
ABSTRACT
The objective
of this project was to work toward developing acoustic
net alarms to reduce or eliminate the incidental take
of harbor porpoise by gillnet fisheries in the Gulf of
Maine. Findings indicate that wild, free-swimming
porpoise did, on average, respond to the insonification
with 50-50.2 kHz sounds by moving away from the sound
source. Although this was the only sound tried, it shows
a high degree of promise for the development of a pinger
device that may keep porpoise away from gillnets.
