Assessing a USBL-BTAG Scheme to Implement Full Bidirectional Tagging Deployment

Acoustic telemetry is a key tool in marine ecology, yet traditional methods remain limited in efficiency and costeffectiveness. This study evaluates the feasibility of integrating bidirectional acoustic tags (BTAG) with ultra-short baseline (USBL) systems to improve aquatic animal tracking. Applying time of flight (ToF) and time difference of arrival (TDOA) calculations reduces infrastructure requirements while enhancing spatial resolution. Experimental validation, including simulations and controlled test tank experiments, demonstrates that a USBL system can successfully decode BTAG signals with a bearing accuracy of up to <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\pm 5^{\mathrm{e}}$</tex>. The findings indicate that this methodology enables more precise and cost-effective underwater tracking, benefiting ecological monitoring and conservation efforts.