Appeldoorn Sanders, Eric

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    Diverse approaches of passive acoustic monitoring in coral reefs: From fish assemblages to vessel activity
    (2023-05-12) Appeldoorn Sanders, Eric; Cruz Motta, Juan J.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Schärer Umpierre, Michelle; Harms Tuohy, Chelsea; Armstrong, Roy A.; Schizas, Nikolaos V.; Department of Marine Sciences; Morales Payán, José P.
    Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is routinely being used today in marine ecosystems, due in part to its advantages over traditional biological community survey and monitoring methods. However, gaps in the knowledge remain that should be investigated to improve the general capability and applicability of PAM for effective management and conservation. This dissertation examined three aspects related to the use of PAM.  The first used acoustic recordings and underwater visual census of reef fish at three mid-shelf reefs to compare the structure and composition of fish assemblages with acoustic data using univariate and multivariate approaches. Results showed that the multivariate acoustic structure reflected best the spatial differences observed in the multivariate biological data, which suggests this may be a suitable method to serve as a proxy in determining spatial differences in fish assemblages. For the second, acoustic recordings from a red hind spawning aggregation site between 2011-2021 were used to acoustically characterize choruses and examine their occurrence at varying temporal scales. Soundscapes on days with red hind choruses were at least 10 dB louder than on days without chorus, with variable occurrence during expected aggregation times across years, following a predictive pattern for the species model. These results can lead to novel methods to rapidly search for red hind, and define aggregation times, at fish spawning aggregation (FSA) sites. In the third, acoustic recordings from three red hind aggregation sites with varying levels of protection taken over a five-year period were used to determine the patterns of acoustic signatures produced by small-scale fishing vessels. Results suggest that fishing at the FSA was occurring during the red hind, three-month, island-wide closure and that seasonal or permanent no-take zones may be more effective in protecting multi-species FSAs. These studies demonstrate how PAM can be used to study the different components of the soundscape of marine reef environments and at different organizational scales. While further refinements are necessary, the ability to use acoustic information as a means to infer beyond the soundscape can expand the applicability of PAM-derived data for resource management and conservation.