Abstract: For the harsh underwater target tracking environment (heavy clutter), an effective target track termination method is presented, named the track termination method based on position measurement distribution statistics. When the target disappears, some key parameters of the target track vary remarkably, such as the position measurement distribution. Based on this, false tracks and true target tracks can be distinguished according to the variation of position measurement distribution statistics, to judge whether the true target disappears or not. The presented method is suitable for the heavy clutter environment. The simulation and analyses indicate that the proposed track termination method can increase the probability of deleting false tracks, decrease the probability of deleting true target, and thus improve the performance of underwater target tracking.