Imaging sonars are being used to monitor for potential interactions between marine energy devices and fish, birds, and marine mammals. 

Triton researchers, Emma Cotter and Garrett Staines, evaluated the utility of acoustic cameras to observe fish interactions with marine energy turbines. This review motivated the team to establish the Triton Imaging Sonar Capabilities (ISC) project to quantify the ability of imaging sonars to be used for fish collision monitoring. The ISC team will conduct controlled experiments at the University of New Hampshire to characterize two popular imaging sonar models in a tank. This experiment will test the sonars in various configurations and with different targets in their field of view to quantitatively evaluate their capabilities. The results of this controlled tank experiment will help guide a second phase of testing in the field around a tidal turbine. The data collected in a natural environment will be annotated and made available for the development and refinement of data processing tools and methodologies, which could increase the efficiency of analyzing large imaging sonar datasets. Through both controlled laboratory experiments and tests in situ, ISC will evaluate the capabilities of imaging sonars for collision monitoring at marine energy sites in areas and times of day when optical cameras are impractical. This work ultimately aims to determine how to most effectively use imaging sonars for fish collision monitoring and provide recommendations and best practices for using these sensors in the field.