Understanding the effect of noise on fish

There is a long tradition of protecting marine mammals from the impacts of sounds from offshore seismic surveys and other marine industrial operations. But what about the impact of these sounds on the fish that, for example, may swim near the air guns of a marine seismic survey?

To identify gaps in the scientific understanding of the effects of noise on marine fish, fisheries and invertebrates on the U.S. outer continental shelf of the Atlantic and the Alaska Arctic, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, convened a workshop in San Diego from March 20 to March 22. More than 200 scientists from the United States, Australia, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom and Norway attended the conference, BOEM said.

Building from existing knowledge, the presentations at the workshop “laid the foundation for future research and decision making,” the agency said. Establishing that foundation involved identifying priority fisheries; determining short-term and long-term research goals; investigating ways of minimizing human-induced noise; and identifying ways of minimizing the noise exposure risks to marine organisms. “Ensuring that we have robust science is critical to moving forward with new energy development off the U.S. Atlantic Coast and Arctic OCS,” said BOEM Director Tommy Beaudreau. “Seismic data is a key tool in evaluating the potential for offshore oil and gas exploration, renewable energy activities and decisions related to sand and gravel dredging for habitat restoration. However, underwater noise can have significant effects on marine life and fishing patterns, and we must understand and manage those effects.”

“We value the contributions by these experts toward our understanding of noise,” said BOEM Chief Environmental Officer Alan Thornhill. “From here, we will review and develop studies to help fill knowledge gaps and focus in on the what, when and where BOEM should study in the future.”

—Alan Bailey