Hydroacoustic studies of macrozooplankton in Lake Baikal

Abstract

A hydroacoustic survey of the distribution of aggregations of Macrohectopus branickii (Amphipoda) in Barguzinsky Bay of Lake Baikal was conducted for the first time in the last 30 years. The hydroacoustic complex “Echo-Baikal” was used in the research. Verification of hydroacoustic data is based on the results of synchronous net catches with a JOM net. The present study demonstrates that macrohectopus aggregations are confined to slope zone areas with depths of 100–150 m. The dependence between the strength of the mean volume backscattering and the density of macrohectopus was obtained, based on which its biomass in Barguzinsky Bay was estimated at 2.7·10⁶ kg.