Assessing the Impact of Seismic Airguns on Commercially and Recreationally-important Fish

Seismic airgun surveys produce intense low-frequency sound that may influence fish behavior. This study presents the first in situ assessment of behavioral responses of adult, free-swimming reef-associated fishes to seismic airgun sound in the northern Gulf of America (Gulf). Using acoustic telemetry and passive acoustic monitoring at an offshore oil and gas platform, we tracked 30 tagged individuals from four reef-associated species—red snapper, red porgy, almaco jack, and greater amberjack—across pre-, during-, and post-close-pass survey periods of a commercial-scale seismic vessel. Red snapper exhibited a significant decline in detections during the close-pass period followed by a significant increase afterward, indicating short-term avoidance or sheltering behavior and a return toward baseline conditions despite continued elevated sound levels. Detection responses for red porgy and greater amberjack were not significant across survey periods, and almaco jack results were descriptive due to low sample sizes. Overall, the findings indicate species-specific and individual-level variation in behavioral responses to elevated sound, though small sample sizes and mixed response patterns limit broader inference and warrant cautious interpretation.

USD: $260,000

2021-01-29 → 2024-10-31