Seals and sea lions (collectively known as pinnipeds) play a large role in our marine and aquatic ecosystems, acting as predator and prey for various species. Though populations were once severely depleted due to human impact, numbers seem to have increased in the past two decades. Given that these animals are sheltered under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), negative interactions between humans and pinnipeds are avoided whenever possible. However, this becomes challenging in instances where pinnipeds predate on threatened/endangered fish populations, particularly at passage “bottlenecks” in riverine environments.
Using an auditory startle signal, Targeted Acoustic Startle Technology (TAST) can keep hunting seals away from human-created barriers to salmon migration, allowing a greater number of fish to reach their spawning grounds.
TAST was used to deter pinnipeds in Olympia, WA from eating the local fish populations.
READ ARTICLEEmploying Targeted Acoustic Startle Technology (TAST) to deter harbor seal predation on endangered salmonids at the Ballard Locks, Seattle, WA
→Researchers at Western Washington University and Oceans Initiative explore applications for predation reduction in the Pacific Northwest. The study modeled a 43.8% reduction of individual seal foraging success at the location.
→Deterring Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) predation on chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) with GenusWave Targeted Acoustic Startle Technology (TAST) at Whatcom Creek, Bellingham, WA
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