Possible vessel avoidance behaviour of capelin in a feeding area and on a spawning ground

The avoidance reactions of Barents Sea capelin (Mallotus villosus) to Norwegian research vessels were studied by means of the Bergen Acoustic Buoy (BAB), which was equipped with a Simrad EK60 echo-sounder operating at a frequency of 38 kHz. BAB experiments were carried out in the capelin's feeding area in the Barents Sea in the autumn and on its spawning grounds in Varangerfjord in Northern Norway in early spring. The vessel approached the BAB...