Collaboration to Assist Ocean Energy Developers

This project will help to prioritise marine areas for use as potential Ocean Renewable Energy project locations and will help project developers and device manufacturers address permitting issues and concerns over turbines placed in marine habitat areas. The hydroacoustic systems used for this project will be provided by BioSonics, whose DT-X digital echosounder technology were selected based on their capabilities and potentially "mammal friendly" characteristics. BioSonics' systems are capable of three-dimensional tracking and classification of marine mammals, fish, and diving birds at long ranges and operate at frequencies and energy levels above the hearing ranges of marine life.

The synergies afforded through this alliance between SMRU Ltd, EMEC, and BioSonics are significant. SMRU Ltd staff includes some of the world's leading authorities on marine mammals and over the next several months these researchers will contribute expertise and collect data on marine mammals and their swimming behavior. This information will allow BioSonics engineering staff to develop specific classification matrices and optimise their existing hydroacoustic systems for the defined purposes.