Small cetaceans are often caught as bycatch in gillnet fisheries. One potential method that has been shown to significantly reduce harbor porpoise incidental take is the use of barium sulfate enhanced gillnets. One hypothesis states barium sulfate nets reduce bycatch because they are acoustically more reflective than monofilament nets, thus easier to detect by echolocating odontocetes. This premise remains untested. To determine acoustic reflectivity, this study compared the target strength of a barium sulfate gillnet with a comparable monofilament gillnet at 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40. At normal incidence (0) the monofilament target strength measured slightly greater than the barium sulfate net and biosonar detection ranges are estimated to be greater for the monofilament. As the angle of incidence increased from normal to 20, the barium sulfate net echo strength remained the same while the nylon net echo strength decreased significantly at 10. Biosonar detection ranges are estimated to be greater for the barium sulfate net at increased angles. Echolocating odontocetes may utilize acoustic reflections of both nets but due to the weak target strength of both nets, other mechanisms may also mitigate reduced odontocete bycatch. Current psychoacoustic research is investigating the net detection ranges of captive bottlenose dolphins.