Effects of ambient and boat noise on hearing and communication in three fish species living in a marine protected area (Miramare, Italy)

A noisy spring: the impact of globally rising underwater sound levels on fish

“…Human invasion of the underwater acoustic environment Underwater sounds generated by human activities can be subdivided in two categories: sounds that are an unintentional byproduct and sounds that are used as a measurement tool. Dominant in the first category are low-frequency noises from vessels for container shipping, public transport, fishing and recreational activities [1,2,67,68,88]. For example, >80% of global freight transport takes place over water by motorized shipping, while passenger crossing occurs on many rivers, lakes and seas, often on noisy ferries that shuttle between harbours at frequent intervals.…”

“…It should be clear that fish have not evolved in a quiet environment, and natural noise levels can also become loud, for example during fish choruses [58,59]. Nevertheless, playback of field recordings under laboratory conditions, at natural spectral content and level, confirmed experimentally that noise generated by a cabin-cruiser type of boat can significantly increase detection threshold levels for conspecific sounds in both brown meagre drums (Sciaena umbra) and Mediterranean damselfish (Chromis chromis) [68]. Based Figure 2.…”

“…We also need insight into the potential scale of impact of such masking effects under natural conditions. Some calculations exist for active space shifts due to anthropogenic noise in frogs [72] and fish [68], and there are some especially insightful studies for marine mammals that may conceptually well apply to fish. For example, baleen whales (Mysticetes) produce low frequency sounds that may travel for hundreds of kilometres, and it has been suggested that these sounds may be used for communication and orientation [73,74].…”

Ambient noise and temporal patterns of boat activity in the US Virgin Islands National Park

“…These vessels are often operated in near-shore, coastal waters within a range of ecosystems (e.g. Codarin et al, 2009). At present, the extent to and timescales over which small vessel traffic increases ambient noise levels are unknown for most habitats.…”

The Soundscape Approach for the Assessment and Conservation of Mediterranean Landscapes: Principles and Case Studies

“…Aquatic system degradation arises from environmental problems that are similar to or worse than those facing terrestrial landscapes (e.g. Codarin et al, 2009;Slabbekoorn et al, 2010). Indeed, the ecosystem balance of coastal waters along the Mediterranean Sea is also severely threatened by human-produced sounds coming from tourist boats, merchant vessels (the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most densely trafficked sea in the world), fishing activities (Frisk, 2012), and sounds of various types of underwater measurement involving both low and high frequencies (Slabbekoorn et al, 2010).…”