2025_programme: Characterization of local fish biophonies facing Monte Conero coast by passive acoustic analysis

• Day: June 16, Monday
    Location / Time: D. CHLOE at 15:50-16:10
• Last minutes changes: -
• Session: 08b. Bioacoustics and Soundscape
  Organiser(s): Jennifer Miksis-Olds, Giacomo Giorli
  Chairperson(s): Jennifer Miksis-Olds, Giacomo Giorli
• Lecture: Characterization of local fish biophonies facing Monte Conero coast by passive acoustic analysis
  Paper ID: 2270
  Author(s): Greta Di Martino, Ilaria Biagiotti, Ilaria Costantini, Iole Leonori
  Presenter: Greta Di Martino
  Abstract: Fish bioacoustics is an emergent field and passive acoustic monitoring represents a non-invasive tool to assess marine biodiversity. This study, conducted in the Adriatic Sea, utilized an acoustic analysis to document local fish biophony. Using an autonomous passive acoustic recorder, two different low-frequency sounds belonging to cusk-eel (Ophidion rochei) and shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa) were identified. The vocalizations of the cusk-eel were recorded throughout the five-month observation period (April to September), with the first calls detected in April. Sound production increased progressively towards summer, peaking in June and then slowly decreasing until September. In contrast, shi drum showed a shorter period of sound production, with calls absent in April and September, a peak in June and July before declining sharply in August, suggesting concentrated acoustic courtship in early summer. A notable hourly pattern in the vocalizations was observed in both fish species, with peaks occurring between 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., coinciding with sunset when nocturnal species initiate mating calls. Cusk-eel consistently produced a significant number of vocalizations during these hours, throughout the period analyzed with a time window of vocalizations ranging from 6 p.m. until beyond 11 p.m. Meanwhile, shi drum in June exhibited a distinct peak at 6 p.m., followed by a gradual decline until 9 p.m., in July and August were limited to the 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. window. Temperature appeared to influence vocal activity in both species, with an increase in peak frequencies and a decrease in sound duration observed as temperature increased. However, the duration of calls from cusk-eel was more temperature-dependent compared to shi drum. Understanding the acoustic patterns of fish species during courtship can provide valuable insights into their reproductive behaviors, aiding in the development of conservation strategies and biodiversity assessments.
• Corresponding author: Ms Greta Di Martino
  Affiliation: Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnologies (IRBIM), National Research Council (CNR); Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna
  Country: Italy