Influence of increasing noise at the offshore wind farm area on fish vocalization phenology: A long-term marine acoustical monitoring off the foremost offshore wind farm in Taiwan
Journal
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Journal Volume
208
Start Page
116969
ISSN
0025-326X
Date Issued
2024-11
Author(s)
DOI
10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116969
Abstract
The rapid increase of offshore projects at Taiwan Strait in recent decade has been debated for elevated noise levels. However, there are no studies on long-term assessment of noise levels and impact of noise on marine organisms. The passive acoustic monitoring was conducted at the foremost wind farm area in Taiwan to assess the sound levels and the impact of noise on fish vocalization behavior. Predominately, in the soundscape around the Taiwan Strait, two chorusing types (Type 1 and Type 2) from the Sciaenid family of fishes exist. Ambient sound levels significantly increased from 2014 to 2019, while the chorusing Types 1 and 2 were observed in a lower percentage of the recordings. Additionally, chorusing peak intensity and duration significantly reduced over the years for both choruses. This is the first field-based evidence to demonstrate the consequences of increasing anthropogenic noise having the potential to alter the vocalization behavior of the fish.
Subjects
Fish behaviour change
Fish vocalization phenology
Long-term noise assessment
Marine noise pollution
Noise impact
Offshore wind farm noise
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Type
journal article