Insights into the transcriptomic responses of silver-lipped pearl oysters Pinctada maxima exposed to a simulated large-scale seismic survey.

Background: The wild stocks of Pinctada maxima pearl oysters found off the coast of northern Australia are of critical importance for the sustainability of Australia's pearling industry. Locations inhabited by pearl oysters often have oil and gas reserves in the seafloor below and are therefore potentially subjected to seismic exploration surveys. The present study assessed the impact of a simulated commercial seismic survey on the transcriptome of pearl oysters.

Distribution and Seasonality of the Omura's Whale () in Australia Based on Passive Acoustic Recordings.

The Omura's whale () is one of the most recently described species of baleen whale. Initially known only from stranding and whaling specimens, it has now been identified in all ocean basins excluding the central and eastern Pacific. Unlike most baleen whales that migrate between the poles and the equator seasonally, the Omura's whale is known to inhabit tropical to sub-tropical waters year-round.

Habitat type drives the spatial distribution of Australian fish chorus diversitya).

Fish vocalize in association with life functions with many species calling en masse to produce choruses. Monitoring the distribution and behavior of fish choruses provides high-resolution data on fish distribution, habitat use, spawning behavior, and in some circumstances, local abundance. The purpose of this study was to use long-term passive acoustic recordings to obtain a greater understanding of the patterns and drivers of Australian fish chorus diversity at a national scale.

Diel patterns of fin whale 20 Hz acoustic presence in Eastern Antarctic waters.

This study presents evidence of diel patterns in fin whale () 20 Hz acoustic presence in Eastern Antarctic waters. Passive acoustic recordings were collected at four sites in Eastern Antarctica from 2013 to 2019. A generalized linear model fitted by a generalized estimating equation was used to test the hypothesis that fin whale 20 Hz acoustic presence shows significant variation between light regimes dawn, day, dusk and night.

Numerical modeling of the impacts of acoustic stimulus on fish otoliths from two directions.

Previous experiments have shown (1) evidence that exposure to high-intensity sounds (e.g., air-gun signals) may cause damage to the sensory hair cells of the fish ears and impair fish hearing and (2) evidence that in some circumstances such exposures cause minimal structural damage.

The impact of seismic survey exposure on the righting reflex and moult cycle of Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) puerulus larvae and juveniles.

Anthropogenic aquatic noise is recognised as an environmental pollutant with the potential to negatively affect marine organisms. Seismic surveys, used to explore subseafloor oil reserves, are a common source of aquatic noise that have garnered attention due to their intense low frequency inputs and their frequent spatial overlap with coastal fisheries. Commercially important Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) adults have previously shown sensitivity to signals from a single seismic air gun.

A large-scale experiment finds no evidence that a seismic survey impacts a demersal fish fauna.

Seismic surveys are used to locate oil and gas reserves below the seabed and can be a major source of noise in marine environments. Their effects on commercial fisheries are a subject of debate, with experimental studies often producing results that are difficult to interpret. We overcame these issues in a large-scale experiment that quantified the impacts of exposure to a commercial seismic source on an assemblage of tropical demersal fishes targeted by commercial fisheries on the North West Shelf of Western Australia.

Lobsters with pre-existing damage to their mechanosensory statocyst organs do not incur further damage from exposure to seismic air gun signals.

Staotcysts, the mechanosensory organs common to many marine invertebrates, have shown sensitivity to aquatic noise. Previously, rock lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) from a remote site with little exposure to anthropogenic noise incurred persistent damage to the statocyst and righting reflex following exposure to seismic air gun signals. Here, J.

Ships and air guns reduce social interactions in humpback whales at greater ranges than other behavioral impacts.

Understanding the interactions between human activity in the ocean and marine mammals is a fundamental step to developing responsible mitigation measures and informing policy. Here, the response of migrating humpback whales to vessels towing seismic air gun arrays (on or off) was quantified as a reduction in their likelihood of socially interacting (joining together). Groups were significantly less likely to participate in a joining interaction in the presence of a vessel, regardless of whether or not the air guns were active.

Seismic air guns damage rock lobster mechanosensory organs and impair righting reflex.

The effects of anthropogenic aquatic noise on marine invertebrates are poorly understood. We investigated the impact of seismic surveys on the righting reflex and statocyst morphology of the palinurid rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, using field-based exposure to air gun signals. Following exposure equivalent to a full-scale commercial assay passing within 100-500 m, lobsters showed impaired righting and significant damage to the sensory hairs of the statocyst.

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) migration in Australian waters using passive acoustic monitoring.

The fin whale is a globally endangered species and is listed as threatened in Australia, however no peer-reviewed studies are available to indicate the migratory movements of the species in Australian waters. This study uses passive acoustic monitoring as a tool to identify the migratory movements of fin whales in Australian waters. Sampling was conducted from eight locations around Australia between 2009 and 2017, providing a total of 37 annual migratory records.

The effect of underwater sounds on shark behaviour.

The effect of sound on the behaviour of sharks has not been investigated since the 1970s. Sound is, however, an important sensory stimulus underwater, as it can spread in all directions quickly and propagate further than any other sensory cue. We used a baited underwater camera rig to record the behavioural responses of eight species of sharks (seven reef and coastal shark species and the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias) to the playback of two distinct sound stimuli in the wild: an orca call sequence and an artificially generated sound.

Song variation of the South Eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whale population in the Perth Canyon, Western Australia.

Sea noise collected over 2003 to 2017 from the Perth Canyon, Western Australia was analysed for variation in the South Eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whale song structure. The primary song-types were: P3, a three unit phrase (I, II and III) repeated with an inter-song interval (ISI) of 170-194 s; P2, a phrase consisting of only units II & III repeated every 84-96 s; and P1 with a phrase consisting of only unit II repeated every 45-49 s. The different ISI values were approximate multiples of each other within a season.

Southbound migration corridor of pygmy blue whales off the northwest coast of Australia based on data from ocean bottom seismographs.

A line array of 14 ocean bottom seismographs was deployed on the Exmouth Plateau northwest of the North West Cape in Western Australia in December 2014-January 2015. Acoustic data collected with this array were used to evaluate the corridor of the southbound migration of pygmy blue whales of the eastern Indian Ocean population. It is found that pygmy blue whales tended to travel southward much further away from the Western Australian coast, at distances of up to 400 km from shore, than that expected from data on their northbound migration.

A behavioural dose-response model for migrating humpback whales and seismic air gun noise.

The behavioural responses of migrating humpback whales to an air gun, a small clustered seismic array and a commercial array were used to develop a dose-response model, accounting for the presence of the vessel, array towpath relative to the migration and social and environmental parameters. Whale groups were more likely to show an avoidance response (increasing their distance from the source) when the received sound exposure level was over 130 dB re 1 μPa·s and they were within 4 km of the source. The 50% probability of response occurred where received levels were 150-155 dB re 1 μPa·s and they were within 2.

The behavioural response of migrating humpback whales to a full seismic airgun array.

Despite concerns on the effects of noise from seismic survey airguns on marine organisms, there remains uncertainty as to the biological significance of any response. This study quantifies and interprets the response of migrating humpback whales () to a 3130 in (51.3l) commercial airgun array.

Patterns of biophonic periodicity on coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef.

The coral reefs surrounding Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef have a diverse soundscape that contains an array of bioacoustic phenomena, notably choruses produced by fishes. Six fish choruses identified around Lizard Island exhibited distinctive spatial and temporal patterns from 2014 to 2016. Several choruses displayed site fidelity, indicating that particular sites may represent important habitat for fish species, such as fish spawning aggregations sites.

Exposure to seismic air gun signals causes physiological harm and alters behavior in the scallop .

Seismic surveys map the seabed using intense, low-frequency sound signals that penetrate kilometers into the Earth's crust. Little is known regarding how invertebrates, including economically and ecologically important bivalves, are affected by exposure to seismic signals. In a series of field-based experiments, we investigate the impact of exposure to seismic surveys on scallops, using measurements of physiological and behavioral parameters to determine whether exposure may cause mass mortality or result in other sublethal effects.

"Spot" call: A common sound from an unidentified great whale in Australian temperate waters.

Underwater passive acoustic recordings in the Southern and Indian Oceans off Australia from 2002 to 2016 have regularly captured a tonal signal of about 10 s duration at 22-28 Hz with a symmetrical bell-shaped envelope. The sound is often accompanied by short, higher frequency downsweeps and repeated at irregular intervals varying from 120 to 200 s. It is termed the "spot" call according to its appearance in spectrograms of long-time averaging.

Determining the behavioural dose-response relationship of marine mammals to air gun noise and source proximity.

The effect of various anthropogenic sources of noise (e.g. sonar, seismic surveys) on the behaviour of marine mammals is sometimes quantified as a dose-response relationship, where the probability of an animal behaviourally 'responding' (e.

Widely used marine seismic survey air gun operations negatively impact zooplankton.

Zooplankton underpin the health and productivity of global marine ecosystems. Here we present evidence that suggests seismic surveys cause significant mortality to zooplankton populations. Seismic surveys are used extensively to explore for petroleum resources using intense, low-frequency, acoustic impulse signals.

The impact of seismic air gun exposure on the haemolymph physiology and nutritional condition of spiny lobster, Jasus edwardsii.

There is a critical knowledge gap regarding the impacts of seismic air gun signals on the physiology of adult crustaceans. We conducted four controlled field experiments to examine the impact of seismic acoustic signals on spiny lobster, Jasus edwardsii. Seismic air gun exposure suppressed total haemocyte count (THC) for up to 120days post-exposure, suggesting a chronic negative impact of immune competency.

Evening choruses in the Perth Canyon and their potential link with Myctophidae fishes.

An evening chorus centered at near 2.2 kHz was detected across the years 2000 to 2014 from seabed receivers in 430-490 m depth overlooking the Perth Canyon, Western Australia. The chorus reached a maximum level typically 2.

Seismic air gun exposure during early-stage embryonic development does not negatively affect spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii larvae (Decapoda: Palinuridae).

Marine seismic surveys are used to explore for sub-seafloor oil and gas deposits. These surveys are conducted using air guns, which release compressed air to create intense sound impulses, which are repeated around every 8-12 seconds and can travel large distances in the water column. Considering the ubiquitous worldwide distribution of seismic surveys, the potential impact of exposure on marine invertebrates is poorly understood.