216 
National Marine 
Fisheries Service 
NOAA 
iy wr 
Fishery Bulletin 
é established in 1881 << 
Spencer F. Baird 
First U.S. Commissioner 
of Fisheries and founder 
of Fishery Bulletin 
Abstract—Underwater vehicles have 
many advantages for sampling fish; 
however, estimates can be biased by 
behavioral responses to sampling gear. 
To evaluate avoidance and attraction 
bias we assessed changes in fish abun- 
dance relative to a variety of sampling 
vehicles during transit through a test 
bed. Fish species were classified into 
five attraction and avoidance categories 
according to the behavioral responses 
exhibited. We observed that the rigor 
of behavioral responses varied by vehi- 
cle, vehicle range and altitude, transect 
number, and habitat complexity. The 
effect of each variable is dependent 
on behavioral guild, but vehicle range 
was the most consistent predictor of 
changes in abundance regardless of 
vehicle. Vehicles that surveyed the envi- 
ronment at higher relative altitudes off 
the seafloor and at slower speeds elic- 
ited weaker behavioral responses 
regardless of whether those reactions 
were attraction or avoidance. The test- 
bed approach allowed assessment of 
responses that cannot be observed from 
the perspective of a sampling vehicle 
but was restricted by the number of 
species-specific interactions observed. 
Despite success in estimating behav- 
ioral responses, calibrating the effect 
against known densities of fish was not 
possible. However, the method used is a 
robust way for future investigations to 
quantify species-specific responses for 
gear calibration and to provide infor- 
mation that aids in the calculation of 
fish abundance. 
Manuscript submitted 18 February 2021. 
Manuscript accepted 13 September 2021. 
Fish. Bull. 119:216—230 (2021). 
Online publication date: 1 November 2021. 
doi: 10.7755/FB.119.4.2 
The views and opinions expressed or 
implied in this article are those of the 
author (or authors) and do not necessarily 
reflect the position of the National 
Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA. 
Assessment of attraction and avoidance 
behaviors of fish in response to the proximity 
of transiting underwater vehicles 
Matthew D. Campbell (contact author)' 
Ariane Huddleston? 
David Somerton (retired)? 
M. Elizabeth Clarke* 
Waldo Wakefield (retired)> 
Steve Murawski° 
Chris Taylor” 
Hanumant Singh® 
Yogesh Girdhar? 
Mary Yoklavich (retired)'° 
Email address for contact author: matthew.d.campbell@noaa.gov 
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High-relief, complex seafloor habitats 
(e.g., rock and coral reef) present a 
number of challenges for the deploy- 
ment of traditional fishing gears, such 
as seines, gill nets, bottom trawls, and 
longlines. These habitats are rugged, 
are prone to snag and destroy sampling 
gear, and are often damaged by sam- 
pling gear (Hall-Spencer et al., 2002; 
Mangi and Roberts, 2006; Roberts et al., 
2006). Further, gears such as traps and 
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handlines have been used to sample 
populations of reef fish species, but 
their size selectivity limits their utility 
to a few species and to a narrow range 
of size and age composition (Parker 
et al., 2016). Because of these difficul- 
ties, the use of optical gears mounted on 
underwater stationary platforms and on 
vehicles are becoming increasingly com- 
mon in efforts to sample complex reef 
environments (Yoklavich et al., 2007; 
