Effects of motorboat noise on foraging behaviour in Eurasian perch and roach: a field experiment

Abstract

The negative impact of anthropogenic noise on marine animals is receiving increasing attention. In order to study the effect of motorboat noise on foraging behaviour in fish, we chose 2 species with different hearing abilities. The roach Rutilus rutilus has a better developed sense of hearing than the Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis. The study took place in an inlet of the Bothnian Sea where boat traffic is almost absent. Groups of 6 fish were placed in field enclosures containing either one of the species or equal numbers of perch and roach. Half of each enclosure was covered with artificial vegetation. The fish were fed with pieces of saithe twice a day, both with and without the disturbance of an outboard motor. Sound pressure level and particle acceleration were measured for the motor, which was run at 2000 rpm. The trials were repeated for 5 d. Perch made fewer feeding attempts during noise exposure compared to controls in the singlespecies enclosures. As the experiment progressed, they gradually increased feeding and time spent in the open area, both with and without noise, indicating habituation. Habitat utilization was affected by the interaction of noise exposure and day. Roach responded to noise exposure with fewer feeding attempts, higher latency to enter the open area, and longer time spent in the vegetation compared to the controls without noise. Roach behaviour changed with time only when housed together with perch. This study, using authentic sound in a natural habitat, shows that noise exposure may affect the feeding behaviour of fish, that the response is species-specific, and that habituation and the presence of other species may modify the effects.

Noise‐induced reduction in the attack rate of a planktivorous freshwater fish revealed by functional response analysis

“…We need further experiments involving more interacting species and designed under the conceptual frameworks of community ecology and food‐web theory to decipher how individual responses to noise spread through community to ultimately alter ecosystem properties. Chronic‐exposure investigations are also welcome to test whether the effects of noise persist over time as some species have been shown to habituate to noise (Jacobsen et al., ; Johansson, Sigray, Backström, & Magnhagen, ; Magnhagen, Johansson, & Sigray, ).…”

“…Chronic-exposure investigations are also welcome to test whether the effects of noise persist over time as some species have been shown to habituate to noise (Jacobsen et al, 2014;Johansson, Sigray, Backström, & Magnhagen, 2016;Magnhagen, Johansson, & Sigray, 2017).…”

Sonic Kayaks: Environmental monitoring and experimental music by citizens

“…Underwater noise pollution, such as from commercial shipping, is a potential threat to marine species. A wide variety of effects have been documented including alterations to behaviour, immune responses, and the detection of acoustic signals [ 6 – 9 ]. In extreme cases, anthropogenic underwater noise can directly cause wildlife mortalities [ 10 ].…”

Sonic Kayaks: Environmental monitoring and experimental music by citizens

“…This has been documented for a wide range of marine species. For example, shipping noise has been found to affect the foraging behaviour of humpback whales (Blair et al 2016) and fish species (Magnhagen et al, 2017), alter the immune response of the European spiny lobster with potential increased risk of infection (Celi et al 2015) and reduce the ability of fish (Lusitanian toadfish) to detect acoustic signals in their environment (masking; Vasconcelos et al ., 2007). In extreme cases, anthropogenic underwater noise can cause mortality as occurred in Falmouth Bay, UK in 2008 where naval activity was thought to be responsible for causing the mass stranding and deaths of common dolphins (Jepson et al, 2013).…”