In order to accurately assess the problem of illegal shrimp trawling in Kuwait Bay, the possibility of using hydrophones to detect trawling activity of boats with outboard motors is investigated. While performing the activities of high speed engine powered sailing (high speed motoring), low speed engine powered sailing (low speed motoring), and trawling, engine noise was recorded using hydrophones. In addition, a minute-by-minute logbook was kept, recording the type of activity performed, speed of the boat, revolutions per minute (RPM) of the engine, and the proximity of the boat to the hydrophones to assist in later differentiation between different noise sounds during different activities. Although high speed motoring and trawling sounded very distinct to the human ear, distinguishing low speed motoring from trawling noise was challenging. After plotting the frequencies of the three main activities, high speed motoring, low speed motoring, and trawling, in a spectral density curve, high speed motoring appeared to have higher pressure spectral density in the higher frequency ranges, while trawling had the highest pressure spectral density in the lower frequencies compared to the other activities. Compared to trawling, the low speed motoring’s curve had less pressure spectral density at the lower frequencies, and higher pressure spectral density at the higher frequencies. This study can serve as a pilot study for future implication of hydrophones to detect the amount of illegal shrimp trawling undertaken in Kuwait’s waters.