The Underwater Noise of Fishing Gears in Operation
An underwater recording system was designed to measure the sound spectra of the underwater noises produced by fishing gears in operation. Recorded were noi~es from three types of fishing gears: an anchovy set net, three anchovy boat seine net and a stern trawlnet. Acoustic analysis were made using a heterodyne analyzer, a digital frequency analyzer and a level recorder. The no;'e produced by the anchovy set net was found in the high frequency region of the onset of ambient noise spectrum with a slope of - 6 dB/octave. Here the ambient noise spectrum is higher, though similar in shape, than Knudsen spectrum, and is attributed to the breaking action of the coastal wave. Measured noise spectra during the fishing operations of the anchovy boat seine nets are attributed to the background noise of the sea in the presence of the fishing vessels. The frequency distribution of the noise was 20~5, 000 Hz in the case of two steel anchovy boat seiners, and 20-3,000 Hz in the case of the wooden anchovy boat seiner. The predominant frequency range was 250~350 Hz and maximum sound pressure level was 122 dB (re 1μPa) in the case of the steel boat and ] 17 dB in the case of the wooden boat. The noises produced by the trawl fishing gears are remarkably higher than the background noi~e in the presence of the fishing vessel. The frequency distribution of the noi~e was 20-6,300 Hz. The predominant frequency range was 100~200 Hz and maximum sound pressure level was 137 dB ( re 1μPa) . The noise spectra were not so much different from that caused by vibrations of the towing cable and the structure of the ground rope of the trawl net towed in an experimental tank.