MATOS - Mid-Atlantic Acoustic Telemetry Observation System

Project Title: NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center Passive Acoustic Monitoring in the Northwest Atlantic Offshore of Georges Bank

MATOS Project Code: NEFSCNEOFF

Data Type: Deployment

Project Duration: August 2025 - on-going

Project Description: Researchers at NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center monitor the waters off of Georges Bank using passive acoustic recorders that collect ambient sound data. These data are used to characterize soundscapes and detect the presence of species of interest, such as marine mammals, fish, and invertebrates. The current acoustic instrumentation is designed to slowly drift within the local currents (drifting recorders). The design includes hydrophones to record ambient sound and VR2W acoustic releases stationed around 130m depth. No animals are currently being tagged within these monitoring efforts. Thus, all detections are of opportunity and hopefully will contribute valuable information to other researchers.

Objectives:

Provide opportunistic detections to other researchers

Principal Investigator:	Sofie Van Parijs (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Email:	sofie.vanparijs@noaa.gov

Point of Contact:	Kate Choate
Email:	kate.choate@noaa.gov

Collaborators:

Annamaria DeAngelis, NOAA Fisheries

Participating Organizations:

NOAA Fisheries

External URL: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/endangered-species-conservation/passive-acoustic-research-atlantic-ocean

NEFSC_NEOFFSHORE