Long term PAM to investigate temporal and anthropogenic effects on oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau mating vocalizations

For the oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau, vocal communication and sound detection are critical for reproductive success, however, little is known about how they respond to changes in their acoustic environment. Passive acoustic monitoring was conducted in Eel Pond, MA, USA in the summer months (2017–2019) to investigate vocalization patterns of the resident population and the effect of anthropogenic sound. Male toadfish produce mating vocalizations that are characterized by an initial broadband segment (30–50 ms, 100–1000 Hz) and a longer tonal section (200–650 ms, 100–500 Hz). The pulse repetition rate of the tonal section was significantly related to ambient water temperature during hourly and weekly monitoring. Time difference of arrivals were also used to pinpoint the location of toadfish nests and linked to ambient and anthropogenic sound-maps to understand exposure levels for individual fish. Significantly less vocalizations were detected following exposure to vessel sound (100–12 000 Hz, source level 130 dB re 1 μPa), suggesting individuals changed their vocal behavior in response to anthropogenic activity. Both environmental and the presence of vessel sound influence the acoustic behaviour of toadfish, which could lead to a reduction in communication space, mate attraction and detection.