The effect of exposure to seismic prospecting on coral reef fishes

Boeger, Walter A.; Pie, Márcio R.; Ostrensky, Antônio; Cardoso, Marcelo F.

doi:10.1590/s1679-87592006000300007

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However, these studies provide little insight into the fish perspective (beyond the seismic survey‐related changes in probability to be caught immediately by fisheries). Several studies on temporal or tropical reef systems (Boeger, Pie, Ostrensky, & Cardoso, ; Miller & Cripps, ; Wardle et al., ) have shown that airgun sound bursts can cause startle responses in relatively stationary fish, while they also suggest that startles do not necessarily lead to long‐term changes in behavioural patterns or spatial deterrence. However, this is rather premature as a general conclusion and we need more well‐designed studies (cf.…”

Section: Overview Of Airgun Impact Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population‐level consequences of seismic surveys on fishes: An interdisciplinary challenge

Slabbekoorn

Dalen

Haan³

et al. 2019

Fish and Fisheries

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Offshore activities elevate ambient sound levels at sea, which may affect marine fauna. We reviewed the literature about impact of airgun acoustic exposure on fish in terms of damage, disturbance and detection and explored the nature of impact assessment at population level. We provided a conceptual framework for how to address this interdisciplinary challenge, and we listed potential tools for investigation. We focused on limitations in data currently available, and we stressed the potential benefits from cross‐species comparisons. Well‐replicated and controlled studies do not exist for hearing thresholds and dose–response curves for airgun acoustic exposure. We especially lack insight into behavioural changes for free‐ranging fish to actual seismic surveys and on lasting effects of behavioural changes in terms of time and energy budgets, missed feeding or mating opportunities, decreased performance in predator‐prey interactions, and chronic stress effects on growth, development and reproduction. We also lack insight into whether any of these effects could have population‐level consequences. General “population consequences of acoustic disturbance” (PCAD) models have been developed for marine mammals, but there has been little progress so far in other taxa. The acoustic world of fishes is quite different from human perception and imagination as fish perceive particle motion and sound pressure. Progress is therefore also required in understanding the nature and extent to which fishes extract acoustic information from their environment. We addressed the challenges and opportunities for upscaling individual impact to the population, community and ecosystem level and provided a guide to critical gaps in our knowledge.

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Section: Overview Of Airgun Impact Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population‐level consequences of seismic surveys on fishes: An interdisciplinary challenge

Slabbekoorn

Dalen

Haan³

et al. 2019

Fish and Fisheries

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“…The signals produced by seismic surveying have been documented to cause some fish to flee (Fewtrell & McCauley 2012), although the response to impulsive noise is reduced after repeated exposure (Radford et al 2016). Seismic signals can elicit a startle response in coral reef fishes (Boeger et al 2006) and a change in their swimming pattern, whereby individuals move to the bottom of the water column and swim faster in tighter groups (Pearson et al 1992, Fewtrell & McCauley 2012, Neo et al 2015; the latter behavior is also called atypical mass stranding in squids (Guerra et al 2004(Guerra et al , 2011. Decreases in fish abundance and lower catch rates have also been reported after seismic surveys (Løkkeborg & Soldal 1993, Engås et al 1996, Engås & Løkkeborg 2002, Slotte et al 2004, Løkkeborg et al 2012a.…”

Section: Sub-lethal Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Little sound would be deflected by the body of a fish; most would travel straight through it, due to the similarity in density of the fish's body and the water. Nevertheless, to escape the disturbance, teleost fish activate motor neurons (Smith et al 2003), curving their body in a 'C' shape away from the noise source (startle response; Pearson et al 1992, Santulli et al 1999, McCauley et al 2000, Wardle et al 2001, Hassel et al 2004, Boeger et al 2006. The effects of changes in pressure (barotrauma) must also be considered for animals that attempt to flee the source of noise (Carlson 2012).…”

Section: Sub-lethal Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some cases, the changes in swimming behavior and orientation may show signs of habituation with repeated presentations of the same sound (Popper et al 2014). A forced habituation to disturbance has been observed in reef fish, which do not retreat from their habitat but remain in the area affected by the seismic impulses (Boeger et al 2006, Evans et al 2014. The potential for this behavior to generate cumulative damage to the auditory system of these fish has yet to be demonstrated.…”

Section: Sub-lethal Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mitigation provisions to be implemented for marine seismic surveying in Latin America: a review based on fish and cetaceans

Acosta¹,

Niño-Rodríguez²,

Yepes³

et al. 2017

Aquat. Biol.

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Population growth and economic development in Latin America has led to an increase in seismic surveying to find new marine hydrocarbon reserves. However, most countries along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Caribbean lack the standards to minimize the impact of seismic exploration on marine organisms. We searched primary and secondary literature in major databases and consulted international authorities and oil companies to provide scientific evidence of the effects of seismic surveying on fish and cetaceans in order to propose minimum guidelines to reduce disturbance to marine organisms in Latin America. The results suggest that seismic surveys can disrupt basic life-cycle activities such as movement, communication, and feeding. Typical outcomes include sub-lethal effects such as escape behavior, habituation, temporary loss of hearing, and changes in vocalization behavior. In order to mitigate these impacts, we propose that oil companies must provide authorities with an environmental impact assessment that includes survey data, array specifications, and acoustic array properties before a hydrocarbon exploration license can be granted. Standard mitigation measures such as exclusion zones, marine mammal observers, and passive acoustic monitoring must be implemented to prevent potential adverse effects. Appropriate legislation and regulations must be designed and implemented, and environmental authorities should be privy to all activities by seismic vessels. Besides relevant regulations and continued monitoring, further investigation must be conducted to evaluate the impact of these activities on marine organisms. The adoption of these proposed minimum guidelines is highly recommended to minimize seismic surveying impact on fish and cetaceans in Latin American countries.

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“…Where in situ studies on the effects of seismic survey on fish have been conducted in the tropics they have been restricted to cage experiments on limited number of species (e.g. Boeger et al, 2006;McCauley and Kent 2012). To date there has been no comprehensive studies on the effects of seismic surveys on open fish communities associated with coral reef environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three dimensional marine seismic survey has no measurable effect on species richness or abundance of a coral reef associated fish community

Miller¹,

Cripps²

2013

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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The effect of exposure to seismic prospecting on coral reef fishes

Cited by 21 publications

References 20 publications

Population‐level consequences of seismic surveys on fishes: An interdisciplinary challenge

Population‐level consequences of seismic surveys on fishes: An interdisciplinary challenge

Mitigation provisions to be implemented for marine seismic surveying in Latin America: a review based on fish and cetaceans

Three dimensional marine seismic survey has no measurable effect on species richness or abundance of a coral reef associated fish community

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