Temporal trends in cusk eel sound production at a proposed US wind farm site

Many marine organisms produce sound during key life history events. Identifying and tracking these sounds can reveal spatial and temporal patterns of species occurrence and behaviors. We describe the temporal patterns of striped cusk eel Ophidion marginatum calls across approximately 1 yr in Nantuck...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: TA Mooney, MB Kaplan, A Izzi, L Lamoni, L Sayigh
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Inter-Research 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/69199e2c1e374b15a395ed199735122a
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Many marine organisms produce sound during key life history events. Identifying and tracking these sounds can reveal spatial and temporal patterns of species occurrence and behaviors. We describe the temporal patterns of striped cusk eel Ophidion marginatum calls across approximately 1 yr in Nantucket Sound, MA, USA, the location of a proposed offshore wind energy installation. Stereotyped calls typical of courtship and spawning were detected from April to October with clear diel, monthly, and seasonal patterns. Acoustic energy increased in the evenings and peaked during crepuscular periods, with the dusk call levels typically higher in energy and more rapid in onset than those from near-dawn periods. Increased call energy and substantial overlap of calls during certain periods suggest that many cusk eels were often calling simultaneously. Call energy (measured in energy flux density) peaked in July and patterns followed seasonal changes in sunrise and sunset. Sound levels were high (over 150 dB re 1 µPa2 s) during the summer, indicating that this cusk eel population is a substantial contributor to the local soundscape. The stereotyped cusk eel signals and clear temporal energy patterns potentially provide a bioacoustic signal that can be used to monitor changes to the local environment and its soundscape.