scholarly journals A sound worth saving: acoustic characteristics of a massive fish spawning aggregation

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 20170656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad E. Erisman ◽  
Timothy J. Rowell
Keyword(s):  
Marine Fish ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Marine Animals ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Fish Spawning ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Fish Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Regional Conservation

Group choruses of marine animals can produce extraordinarily loud sounds that markedly elevate levels of the ambient soundscape. We investigated sound production in the Gulf corvina ( Cynoscion othonopterus ), a soniferous marine fish with a unique reproductive behaviour threatened by overfishing, to compare with sounds produced by other marine animals. We coupled echosounder and hydrophone surveys to estimate the magnitude of the aggregation and sounds produced during spawning. We characterized individual calls and documented changes in the soundscape generated by the presence of as many as 1.5 million corvina within a spawning aggregation spanning distances up to 27 km. We show that calls by male corvina represent the loudest sounds recorded in a marine fish, and the spatio-temporal magnitude of their collective choruses are among the loudest animal sounds recorded in aquatic environments. While this wildlife spectacle is at great risk of disappearing due to overfishing, regional conservation efforts are focused on other endangered marine animals.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal dynamics of a fish spawning aggregation and its fishery in the Gulf of California

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad Erisman ◽  
Octavio Aburto-Oropeza ◽  
Charlotte Gonzalez-Abraham ◽  
Ismael Mascareñas-Osorio ◽  
Marcia Moreno-Báez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Fish Spawning ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Fish Spawning Aggregation

scholarly journals Drivers of male sound production and effective communication distances at fish spawning aggregation sites

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 730-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J Rowell ◽  
Gerald L D’Spain ◽  
Octavio Aburto-Oropeza ◽  
Brad E Erisman
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Fish Sounds ◽  
Fish Spawning ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Female Presence ◽  
Spawning Periods

Abstract While monitoring fish sounds has enhanced our understanding of spatio-temporal patterns of spawning and acoustic communication, data interpretation often fails to account for environmental effects on acoustic recordings, resulting in uncertainty of whether measures of detected fish sounds correspond to rates of sound production, specific behaviours, and abundance. In this study, we applied acoustic propagation modelling and detection theory to estimate rates of sound production of territorial, male Gulf grouper (Mycteroperca jordani) from passive acoustic recordings and evaluate effective communication distances. To assess behavioural drivers, environmentally calibrated, hourly estimates of sound production rates were compared to diver observations of courtship, spawning, and numbers of females encountered within male territories. Rates of sound production increased before sunset and were correlated to observed rates of spawning and females encountered, indicating that sound production is largely driven by female presence and increased opportunities to spawn. The mean effective communication distance was estimated to be <21 m, supporting the importance of short-range communication within the observed behaviours. Our findings corroborate that fish sounds can be used to infer measures of reproductive activity and the relative abundance of both sexes during spawning periods once properly calibrated for environmental effects and detection capabilities.

Surface drifter movement indicates onshore egg transport from a reef fish spawning aggregation

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Méndez-Jiménez ◽  
William D. Heyman ◽  
Steven F. DiMarco
Keyword(s):  
Reef Fish ◽  
Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Surface Drifter ◽  
Fish Spawning ◽  
Fish Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Egg Transport

Acoustic competition of Serranids at a fish spawning aggregation

2017 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
pp. 3944-3944
Author(s):  
Katherine Cameron ◽  
Brice Semmens ◽  
Christy V. Pattengill-Semmens ◽  
Steve Gittings ◽  
Croy McCoy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Fish Spawning ◽  
Fish Spawning Aggregation

Reproductive behaviour and concurrent sound production of Gulf grouperMycteroperca jordani(Epinephelidae) at a spawning aggregation site

2019 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Rowell ◽  
Octavio Aburto-Oropeza ◽  
Juan J. Cota-Nieto ◽  
Mark A. Steele ◽  
Brad E. Erisman
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Spawning Aggregation ◽  
Aggregation Site
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