Xavier Mouy, PhD Candidate
University of Victoria
Bio: I am interested in studying underwater sounds from marine fauna and anthropogenic activities. I have been involved in the development of monitoring tools to automatically detect, identify and localize marine mammals using passive acoustics. Prior to starting a PhD, I worked as project scientist in a Canadian company doing consulting and R&D in underwater acoustics.
Supervisor(s): Dr. Francis Juanes and Dr. Stan Dosso
Institution: University of Victoria, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences
Start to Finish: 9/2016 to 9/2019
CHONe Project: Project 2.1.4 Anthropogenic noise in the ocean soundscape: Effects on fishes and invertebrates
Project Title: Fish bioacoustics: characterization of fish sounds and effect of noise on fish.
Project Description:
My project focuses on studying sounds produced by fish in British Columbia. I will use simultaneous acoustic and video recordings to associate fish sounds to specific species and behaviors. Fish will be localised acoustically in three dimensions using a compact array of hydrophones to determine movement, calling rates, and source levels for individual fish. The influence of noise on fish communication will also be investigated. The overall goal of the project is to assess if/how passive acoustics can be used to monitor fish.
The specific project/thesis aims are:
- To catalogue and document the sounds of fish occurring in British Columbia (BC) waters.
- To develop automated detection software to process efficiently data collected along the coast of BC.
- To document depth and calling rates of individual fish, estimate source level of fish sounds, and determine whether the number of fish sounds in recordings can be used to infer fish abundance.
- To evaluate the possible impact of noise on fish communication.
This project will provide a better understanding of fish sounds and impact of noise on fish communication with practical applications for monitoring, industrial planning and regulatory purposes.
