Application of Fisheries Acoustics: A Review of the Current State in Mexico and Future Perspectives

• Published in: Fishes 2024-10, Vol.9 (10), p.387
• Main Authors: González-Máynez, Violeta E., Morales-Bojórquez, Enrique, Nevárez-Martínez, Manuel O., Villalobos, Héctor
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustic data; acoustic techniques; Acoustics; Algorithms; Biomass; Catch at age; Collaboration; Comparative analysis; Ecosystem models; Fish industry; Fisheries; Fisheries management; Fishery management; Fishing; Human resources; index of relative abundance; Innovations; Interdisciplinary research; Marine ecosystems; Marine fish; Open source software; Pelagic fisheries; Public domain; Relative abundance; Research programs; small pelagic; Statistical models; Technology application; Underwater acoustics; Underwater resources
• ISSN: 2410-3888; 2410-3888
• DOI: 10.3390/fishes9100387

In Mexico, marine acoustics research still faces technical and scientific challenges. For the past decade, the country has made a sustained effort to implement acoustic techniques to generate time series of standardized information; however, these data have been underutilized. Marine acoustics research has been used mainly for small pelagic species and has contributed to improving fishery management and to advising stakeholders. The Mexican scientific community has perceived marine acoustic techniques as expensive tools that are only used for industrial fishing purposes. Marine acoustics can provide information on the variability and interactions between species, their physical environment, and other communities of species, but this approach has not yet been integrated into interdisciplinary research programs or ecosystem models. Additionally, acoustic data provide estimates of biomass and indices of relative abundance, and they have suitable statistical properties for use in integrated catch-at-age models. In summary, to consolidate marine acoustic techniques in Mexico, it is necessary, at a minimum, to maintain the current infrastructure for acoustic studies, to increase the budget for the development of monitoring programs that collect ecosystem indicator data, to promote the training of human resources, and to encourage peer review of the information generated and reported in gray literature.