Work

Reaction of two sciaenid species to passing boats: Insights from passive acoustic localisation

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) are two soniferous sciaenid species that use the Tagus estuary (Portugal) to breed. In this highly urbanized environment, fishes must deal with multiple anthropogenic stressors that include high noise levels caused by the intense boat traffic. We investigated how these sciaenids react to ferry boat and small boat passages, by assessing both changes in breeding calling activity with passive acoustic monitoring and escape responses with passive acoustic localisation. We found that meagre reduced calling activity after boat passages, but no such effect was observed in weakfish. Instead, weakfish appeared to move in response to boat passages suggesting an escape response. Meagre also seemed to have changed positions and dispersion patterns, but movements were more modest. This study uses a cost-effective and non-invasive passive acoustic localization method to elucidate the behavioural response of soniferous fish to anthropogenic noise for the first time, contributing to our understanding of the way fish react to this stressor. Such knowledge is especially important in contexts where fish are exposed to highly prevalent human-generated noise during the breeding season, such as in busy estuaries and coastal areas.

Source: Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2024.109012

Authors: André B. Matos, Manuel Vieira, M. Clara P. Amorim, Paulo J. Fonseca

Institution: University of Lisbon

Language: English

Topic: Marine animal studies overview

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,250