Effects of anthropogenic noise and natural soundscape on larval fish behavior in four estuarine species

Pile driving noise impacts behavioral patterns of important East Asian juvenile marine fishes

The surge in renewable energy demand, particularly from offshore wind farm (OWF), raises concerns about underwater noise pollution during their construction. Despite extensive studies on underwater noise impacts in European and Western countries, local species targeted investigations are crucial for global application. We assessed how pile driving noise during OWF construction affected the behavior of three juvenile Korean fishes (Lateolabrax japonicus, Acanthopagrus schlegelii, and Platichthys stellatus) prevalent in East Asian seas. Pile driving noise playback induced rapid changes in L. japonicus and A. schlegelii swimming speed and group cohesion, with 40 % remaining un-habituated after 5 min. Notably, L. japonicus showed clear avoidance of the noise source, while P. stellatus behavior remained unchanged at all. Our findings confirm that even relatively low-intensity impulsive noise can alter fish behavior, potentially due to species-specific characteristics. Accumulated data will inform the development of strategies for smart OWF establishment, advancing sustainable energy practices.

Anthropogenic noise disrupts early-life development in a fish with paternal care

Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant but its potential impacts on early life-stages in fishes are largely unknown. Here, using controlled laboratory experiments, we tested for impacts of continuous or intermittent exposure to low-frequency broadband noise on early life-stages of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps), a marine fish with exclusive paternal care. Neither continuous nor intermittent noise exposure had an effect on filial cannibalism, showing that males were capable and willing to care for their broods. However, broods reared in continuous noise covered a smaller area and contained fewer eggs than control broods. Moreover, although developmental rate was the same in all treatments, larvae reared by males in continuous noise had, on average, a smaller yolk sac at hatching than those reared in the intermittent noise and control treatments, while larvae body length did not differ. Thus, it appears that the increased consumption of the yolk sac reserve was not utilised for increased growth. This suggests that exposure to noise in early life-stages affects fitness-related traits of surviving offspring, given the crucial importance of the yolk sac reserve during the early life of pelagic larvae. More broadly, our findings highlight the wide-ranging impacts of anthropogenic noise on aquatic wildlife living in an increasingly noisy world.

Introduction to the special issue on fish bioacoustics: Hearing and sound communicationa)

Fish bioacoustics, or the study of fish hearing, sound production, and acoustic communication, was discussed as early as Aristotle. However, questions about how fishes hear were not really addressed until the early 20th century. Work on fish bioacoustics grew after World War II and considerably in the 21st century since investigators, regulators, and others realized that anthropogenic (human-generated sounds), which had primarily been of interest to workers on marine mammals, was likely to have a major impact on fishes (as well as on aquatic invertebrates). Moreover, passive acoustic monitoring of fishes, recording fish sounds in the field, has blossomed as a noninvasive technique for sampling abundance, distribution, and reproduction of various sonic fishes. The field is vital since fishes and aquatic invertebrates make up a major portion of the protein eaten by a signification portion of humans. To help better understand fish bioacoustics and engage it with issues of anthropogenic sound, this special issue of The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (JASA) brings together papers that explore the breadth of the topic, from a historical perspective to the latest findings on the impact of anthropogenic sounds on fishes.