Hydroacoustic Observatory will benefit communities in the Coquimbo Region thanks to innovative project

- Many families throughout the country live near the sea, however, are they really aware of the marine species that surround them? In order to bring communities closer to the ocean, a Hydroacoustic Observatory will be inaugurated.

Raising awareness about the importance of conserving the marine ecosystem is fundamental, especially in coastal areas throughout Chile. Taking into consideration this important objective, the science-based technology company Acústica Marina, together with Compañía Minera del Pacífico (CMP), will launch a Hydroacoustic Observatory so that students, families and entrepreneurs in the town of Chungungo can value the marine species that surround them.

This is possible thanks to an innovative network of underwater buoys that capture the hydroacoustic sound of the sea, storing the sounds of the many marine species that inhabit this area of the Coquimbo Region. The creation of this project seeks to educate and involve the community in the knowledge and care of marine fauna through workshops for children and adults. Training will also be provided to artisanal fishermen in the area, so that they will have the tools they need to begin interesting tourist tours as a new way of boosting the local economy.

"For CMP it is very important to support actions that reinforce our commitment to a sustainable operation that contributes to the territory. Even more so when in this case we are talking about gathering scientific information about whales, and that we can share it with the local community. Today we already have 4 hydroacoustic buoys installed in the sea to monitor and map underwater noise, and thus understand and safeguard the marine fauna. In this way, we are helping to promote the development of tourism focused on the appreciation of the marine ecosystem, to the benefit of the territory," said Martín Argaluza of CMP.

Marine Acoustics and its commitment to the preservation of the marine ecosystem

The start up's main mission is to correctly trace the routes of vessels for the benefit of the species and marine ecosystem, and due to the versatility of its technology, it can be used in different applications, such as defense and marine conservation or for the port and salmon industry.

This hydroacoustic network, which so far consists of four buoys located in the town of Chungungo, works through artificial intelligence and solar energy, capturing underwater noise and issuing real-time alerts in the event of any threat to marine fauna. The buoys make a thorough analysis of the environment through a monitoring, control and surveillance system (hydroacoustic MCV) with emphasis on the study and conservation of marine life and ecosystem.

Today this work is carried out by four installed buoys, but by the end of 2024 it is expected to have ten more buoys operating in Chungungo, which will turn this Marine Acoustics project into the largest underwater mapping network in Latin America.