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Journal of the Acoustical Society of America / Volume 117 / Issue 6 / BIOACOUSTICS [80]

Effects of exposure to seismic airgun use on hearing of three fish species

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 117, Issue 6, pp. 3958-3971 (2005); (14 pages)

Arthur N. Popper1, Michael E. Smith2, Peter A. Cott3, Bruce W. Hanna3, Alexander O. MacGillivray4, Melanie E. Austin4, and David A. Mann5

1Department of Biology, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, and Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
2Department of Biology and Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
3Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Yellowknife, NT, Canada X1A 1E2
4JASCO Research Ltd., Victoria, BC, Canada V8Z 7X8
5College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701

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Seismic airguns produce considerable amounts of acoustic energy that have the potential to affect marine life. This study investigates the effects of exposure to a 730 in.3 airgun array on hearing of three fish species in the Mackenzie River Delta, the northern pike (Esox lucius), broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus), and lake chub (Couesius plumbeus). Fish were placed in cages in the 1.9 m of water and exposed to five or 20 airgun shots, while controls were placed in the same cage but without airgun exposure. Hearing in both exposed and control fish were then tested using the auditory brainstem response (ABR). Threshold shifts were found for exposed fish as compared to controls in the northern pike and lake chub, with recovery within 24 hours of exposure, while there was no threshold shift in the broad whitefish. It is concluded that these three species are not likely to be substantially impacted by exposure to an airgun array used in a river seismic survey. Care must be taken, however, in extrapolation to other species and to fishes exposed to airguns in deeper water or where the animals are exposed to a larger number of airgun shots over a longer period of time. © 2005 Acoustical Society of America.

© 2005 Acoustical Society of America

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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

bioacoustics, hearing, underwater sound, acoustic noise, ultrasonic effects

PACS

  • 43.80.Nd

    Effects of noise on animals and associated behavior, protective mechanisms

  • 43.80.Lb

    Sound reception by animals: anatomy, physiology, auditory capacities, processing

  • 43.64.Wn

    Effects of noise and trauma on the auditory system

  • 43.50.Qp

    Effects of noise on man and society

  • 43.30.Ma

    Acoustics of sediments; ice covers, viscoelastic media; seismic underwater acoustics

ARTICLE DATA

History
Received 07 Dec 2004
Accepted 16 Mar 2005
Revised 28 Feb 2005
Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.1904386

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0001-4966 (print)  

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef Acoustical Society of America

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