Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Author Spotlight: Developing Cost-Effective and Customizable Balloon Tags for Fish Passage Studies
Published on: October 13, 2023
Self-localization of buoyless fishing gear and other objects on the sea floor
Mark F Baumgartner1, Jim Partan2
1Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA.
Abstract:
End lines used in commercial trap/pot fishing pose a significant entanglement risk to whales, sea turtles, and sharks. Removal of these ropes for buoyless fishing is being considered by the United States and Canadian governments, but a method to systematically locate the gear without an attached buoy is required. A method was developed for an acoustic modem to self-localize and broadcast its location to nearby ships to minimize gear conflict, optimize power consumption, and reduce lost gear. This method was implemented using a research modem that self-localized to within 5 m of its estimated location on the sea floor.
Related Concept Videos
Buoyancy and Stability for Submerged and Floating Bodies
Buoyancy
Local Attraction
Density and Archimedes' Principle

