Abstract
Paul Nachtigall has long been a leader in sensory biology and evaluating noise impacts to marine life. Following in his footsteps, we conducted a series of studies on sound sensitivity. Pile-driving, commonly used to construct offshore wind turbines, produces high-intensity sounds that propagate through the seafloor and water column. These sounds can affect numerous animals that sense sound pressure, however, far less is known about the impacts on species that primarily sense particle motion. One such species is the summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus), a benthic flatfish that comprises an important fishery overlapping with numerous planned, or in-construction, wind farms. Here we measured how the summer flounder is impacted by actual in situ pile-driving, measuring hearing abilities, physiology (respiration rates) and behavior, as well as pressure, particle acceleration and ground vibrations. Noise-induced hearing loss was noted after only 15 min of pile-driving. Flounder respiration rates increased during pile-driving exposure and while short-duration escape responses increased, overall swimming rates were low, reflecting stress responses and actually increasing apparent sound exposures. Results underscore that noise impacts are often complex, influenced by the animal’s umwelt. A broader understanding of sensory ecology, and evaluating multiple parameters, is critical to determine the influence of sound exposures.