BELAS telemetry array

The BELAS telemetry array is composed by multiple acoustic receivers deployed in strategic places inside the Ria de Vigo. We selected receivers from Thelma Biotel, model TBR800 (some of them in the acoustic release version), programmed to listen in the Open Protocol (among other protocols) adhering to the recommendations of the European Tracking Network. Our array is therefore ready to detect not only the BELAS tagged fish but any other individuals coming from nearby or remote waters transmitting in the open protocol as well.

Read here how the BELAS array looks like and scroll a bit further down to understand how we teamed up with multiple local stakeholders to deploy our receivers!

The array was designed seeking a tradeoff between 1) providing as much coverage as possible, 2) being able to detect key movements and 3) fitting to budget! Basically, the array is composed of two gates or fences that divide the Ria in three boxes. We aim to detect movements between them (because we think that environmental conditions are different in those boxes and animals will react to that). Then, there are two corridors to detect potential movements through the northern and southern coasts of the Ria. Finally, a few receivers are deployed in the deeper areas of the Ria to provide also some coverage to the habitats . In the end, it looks life this:

It was a challenge to deploy such an array in a Ria that holds multiple human activities including the largest fishing harbour in Europe, hundreds of mussel rafts, a very intense boat traffic and multiple recreational activities taking place just above our telemetry array.

Receivers were deployed using multiple solutions (most of them custom made):