Impact of motorboats on fish embryos depends on engine type

Change in heart rate of Amblyglyphidodon curacao embryos from pre- treatment conditions (ambient) to treatment conditions (ambient, 2-stroke engine, or 4-stroke engine). Both 2-stroke and 4-stroke treatments involved a boat driving at 0–35 km/h at 10–200 m from embryos. 

The full methodology is available in the Open Access publication from the Related Publications link below.

Abstract [Related Publication]: Human generated noise is changing the natural underwater soundscapes worldwide. The most pervasive sources of underwater anthropogenic noise are motorboats, which have been found to negatively affect several aspects of fish biology. However, few studies have examined the effects of noise on early life stages, especially the embryonic stage, despite embryo health being critical to larval survival and recruitment. Here, we used a novel setup to monitor heart rates of embryos from the staghorn damselfish (Amblyglyphidodon curacao) in shallow reef conditions, allowing us to examine the effects of in situ boat noise in context with real-world exposure. We found that the heart rate of embryos increased in the presence of boat noise, which can be associated with the stress response. Additionally, we found 2-stroke outboard-powered boats had more than twice the effect on embryo heart rates than did 4-stroke powered boats, showing an increase in mean individual heart rate of 1.9% and 4.6%, respectively. To our knowledge this is the first evidence suggesting boat noise elicits a stress response in fish embryo and highlights the need to explore the ecological ramifications of boat noise stress during the embryo stage. Also, knowing the response of marine organisms caused by the sound emissions of particular engine types provides an important tool for reef managers to mitigate noise pollution.

    Data Record Details
    Data record related to this publication Impact of motorboats on fish embryos depends on engine type
    Data Publication title Impact of motorboats on fish embryos depends on engine type
  • Description

    Change in heart rate of Amblyglyphidodon curacao embryos from pre- treatment conditions (ambient) to treatment conditions (ambient, 2-stroke engine, or 4-stroke engine). Both 2-stroke and 4-stroke treatments involved a boat driving at 0–35 km/h at 10–200 m from embryos. 

    The full methodology is available in the Open Access publication from the Related Publications link below.

    Abstract [Related Publication]: Human generated noise is changing the natural underwater soundscapes worldwide. The most pervasive sources of underwater anthropogenic noise are motorboats, which have been found to negatively affect several aspects of fish biology. However, few studies have examined the effects of noise on early life stages, especially the embryonic stage, despite embryo health being critical to larval survival and recruitment. Here, we used a novel setup to monitor heart rates of embryos from the staghorn damselfish (Amblyglyphidodon curacao) in shallow reef conditions, allowing us to examine the effects of in situ boat noise in context with real-world exposure. We found that the heart rate of embryos increased in the presence of boat noise, which can be associated with the stress response. Additionally, we found 2-stroke outboard-powered boats had more than twice the effect on embryo heart rates than did 4-stroke powered boats, showing an increase in mean individual heart rate of 1.9% and 4.6%, respectively. To our knowledge this is the first evidence suggesting boat noise elicits a stress response in fish embryo and highlights the need to explore the ecological ramifications of boat noise stress during the embryo stage. Also, knowing the response of marine organisms caused by the sound emissions of particular engine types provides an important tool for reef managers to mitigate noise pollution.

  • Other Descriptors
  • Data type dataset
  • Keywords
    • pollution
    • anthropogenic noise
    • stress
    • fishes
    • ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
  • Funding source
    • ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
    • Natural Environment Research Council (UK)
  • Research grant(s)/Scheme name(s)
  • Research themes
    Tropical Ecosystems, Conservation and Climate Change
    FoR Codes (*)
    SEO Codes
    Specify spatial or temporal setting of the data
    Temporal (time) coverage
  • Start Date 2018/11/01
  • End Date 2018/12/30
  • Time Period
    Spatial (location) coverage
  • Locations
    • Lizard Island, northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia (14°41′S, 145°27′E)
    Data Locations

    Type Location Notes
    Attachment embryo data for biology letters.csv Comma-separated values (.csv) format
    The Data Manager is: Sofia Jain-Schlaepfer
    College or Centre
    Access conditions Open: free access under license
  • Alternative access conditions
  • Data record size 1 file: 7 KB
  • Related publications
      Name Jain-Schlaepfer, Sofia, Fakan, Eric, Rummer, Jodie L., Simpson, Stephen D., and McCormick, Mark I. (2018) Impact of motorboats on fish embryos depends on engine type. Conservation Physiology, 6(1)
    • URL https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coy014
    • Notes Open Access
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    Citation Jain-Schlaepfer, Sofia; McCormick, Mark; Rummer, Jodie (2018): Impact of motorboats on fish embryos depends on engine type. James Cook University. https://doi.org/10.25903/5bbbfce7c62ab