Active acoustic surveys reveal coastal fish community resistance to an environmental perturbation in South Florida

Benjamin M Binder; Guillaume Rieucau; James V Locascio; J Christopher Taylor; Kevin M Boswell

doi:10.7717/peerj.14888

Active acoustic surveys reveal coastal fish community resistance to an environmental perturbation in South Florida

PeerJ. 2023 Apr 27:11:e14888. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14888. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Benjamin M Binder¹, Guillaume Rieucau², James V Locascio³, J Christopher Taylor⁴, Kevin M Boswell⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology / Marine Sciences Program / Florida International University, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, United States of America.
² Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin, LA, United States of America.
³ Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, United States of America.
⁴ National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Beaufort, NC, United States of America.
⁵ Department of Biology, Marine Sciences Program, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, United States of America.

Abstract

Coastal fish communities are under increasing levels of stress associated with climate variation and anthropogenic activities. However, the high degree of behavioral plasticity of many species within these communities allow them to cope with altered environmental conditions to some extent. Here, we combine meteorological information, data from hydroacoustic surveys, and recordings of goliath grouper sound production to examine the response of coastal fish communities to heavy rainfall events in South Florida, USA, that resulted in the release of excess storm water into surrounding estuaries and coastal waters. We observed a nearly 12,000% increase in water column acoustic backscatter following a heavy rainfall event of September 16th, 2015. Interestingly, estimates of school backscatter, a proxy for biomass, increased by 172% with the onset of the perturbation. Schooling fish density also increased by 182%, as did acoustically derived estimates of mean schooling fish length (21%). Following the perturbed period, school backscatter decreased by 406%, along with schooling density (272%), and mean schooling fish length (35%). Hydrophone and hydroacoustic data also revealed that goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) spawning aggregations were persistent in the region throughout the duration of the study and continued to exhibit courtship behavior during the perturbed period. Our observations demonstrate the high level of resistance common in coastal species but raises new questions regarding the threshold at which fish communities and reproductive activities are disrupted. As coastal land use continues to increase, and the effects of global climate change become more pronounced, more Before-After Control Impact (BACI) studies will provide improved insight into the overall response of nearshore communities to future perturbations and the cumulative effect of repeated perturbations over extended periods.

Keywords: Active acoustics; Coastal perturbations; Community dynamics; Fisheries acoustics; Goliath grouper; Water management.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Acoustics*
Animals
Bass* / physiology
Biomass
Florida
Water

Substances

Water

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Coral Reef Conservation Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Conservation Program, the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, and Marine Fisheries Initiative. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.