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Sounds of Cape Cod Fishes.

 

Rodney A. Rountree, PhD., Department of Natural Resource Conservation, UMASS-Amherst, http://www.fishecology.org.

 

Did you know that fishes make sounds? In fact, over 150 species on the East Coast of the U.S. can vocalize. And that's likely to be a vast underestimate, because few scientists have attempted to study fish sounds in our temperate coastal waters. Did you know that many fishes, right here on Cape Cod are highly vocal (see list in Table 1)? In this demonstration you will get to hear the sounds of just a few of the vocal species on Cape Cod (see illustrations below).

Table 1. Partial list of species known to be capable of sound production based on field and/or laboratory studies, and which occur at least seasonally in New England (Long Island to Maine) estuarine and shelf waters (Fish et al. 1952, Fish and Mowbray 1970, Hawkins and Rasmussen 1978, Tavolga 1980, Mann et al. 1997).  *Sound production capability assumed based on the presence of anatomical structures usually associated with vocalization. Primary target species are shown in bold type.

Scientific name

Common name

Anguillidae

   

+ANGUILLA ROSTRATA

AMERICAN EEL

Congridae

 

+CONGER OCEANICUS

CONGER EEL    

Clupeidae

 

CLUPEA HARENGUS

ATLANTIC HERRING

OPISTHONEMA OGLINUM

ATLANTIC THREAD HERRING

Ariidae

 

ARIUS FELIS

HARDHEAD CATFISH

BAGRE MARINUS

GAFFTOPSAIL CATFISH

Gadidae

 

+*BROSME BROSME

CUSK

GADUS MORHUA

ATLANTIC COD

MELANOGRAMMUS AEGLEFINUS

HADDOCK

+MERLUCCIUS BILINEARIS

SILVER HAKE

+POLLACHIUS VIRENS

POLLOCK

+UROPHYCIS CHUSS

RED HAKE

+UROPHYCIS REGIA

SPOTTED HAKE

Ophidiidae

 

+*LEPOPHIDIUM PROFUNDORUM

FAWN CUSK-EEL

+OPHIDION MARGINATUM

STRIPED CUSK-EEL

Batrachoididae

 

OPSANUS TAU

OYSTER TOADFISH

Dactylopteridae

 

DACTYLOPTERUS VOLITANS

FLYING GURNARD

Triglidae

 

+PRIONOTUS CAROLINUS

NORTHERN SEAROBIN

PRIONOTUS EVOLANS

STRIPED SEAROBIN

Cottidae

 

MYOXOCEPHALUS AENAEUS

GRUBBY

+MYOXOCEPHALUS OCTODECEMSPINOSUS

LONGHORN SCULPIN

Percichthyidae

 

+MORONE SAXATILIS

STRIPED BASS

Serranidae

 

CENTROPRISTIS STRIATA

BLACK SEA BASS

Priacanthidae

 

PRIACANTHUS ARENATUS

BIGEYE

Pomatomidae

 

POMATOMUS SALTATRIX

BLUEFISH

Carangidae

 

ALECTIS CILIARIS

AFRICAN POMPANO

CARANX CRYSOS

BLUE RUNNER

CARANX HIPPOS

CREVALLE JACK

CARANX LATUS

HORSE-EYE JACK

CARANX RUBER

BAR JACK

CHLOROSCOMBRUS CHRYSURUS

ATLANTIC BUMPER

SELENE SETAPINNIS

ATLANTIC MOONFISH

SELENE VOMER

LOOKDOWN

SERIOLA DUMERILI

GREATER AMBERJACK

Lutjanidae

 

OCYURUS CHRYSURUS

YELLOWTAIL SNAPPER

LUTJANUS GRISEUS

GRAY SNAPPER

Haemulidae

 

ORTHOPRISTIS CHRYSOPTERA

PIGFISH

Sparidae

 

+STENOTOMUS CHRYSOPS

SCUP

Sciaenidae

 

BAIRDIELLA CHRYSOURA

SILVER PERCH

CYNOSCION NEBULOSUS

SPOTTED SEATROUT

CYNOSCION REGALIS

WEAKFISH

LEIOSTOMUS XANTHURUS

SPOT

MENTICIRRHUS SAXATILIS

NORTHERN KINGFISH

MICROPOGON UNDULATUS

ATLANTIC CROAKER

POGONIAS CROMIS

BLACK DRUM

Labridae

 

+TAUTOGA ONITIS

TAUTOG

+TAUTOGOLABRUS ADSPERSUS

CUNNER

Balistidae

 

ALUTERUS SCHOEPFI

ORANGE FILEFISH

BALISTES CAPRISCUS

GRAY TRIGGERFISH

MONACANTHUS CILIATUS

FRINGED FILEFISH

MONACANTHUS HISPIDUS

PLANEHEAD FILEFISH

Ostraciidae

 

LACTOPHRYS QUADRICORNIS

SCRAWLED COWFISH

Tetraodontidae

 

CHILOMYCTERUS SCHOEPFI

STRIPED BURRFISH

SPHOEROIDES MACULATUS

NORTHERN PUFFER

Molidae

 

MOLA MOLA

OCEAN SUNFISH

 

 

 Click on the fish illustration to hear an example of its sound.

 

Haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus

Sounds of haddock spawning in the National Marine Fisheries Service brood stock tank at Narragansett, RI recorded by Tom Halavik about 1970.

Click here for an example of another haddock sound produced at the latter stages of courtship.

 

The haddock is an important commercial species in New England. It, like its close relative the Atlantic cod, is highly vocal. Cod and haddock vocalize primarily during the spawning season, when males set up temporary territories and defend them against rival males. Females are attracted by the male's call. Both species, like most gadids (cod fishes and hakes), have a large highly specialized "sonic" muscle that they use to drum against the swim bladder to produce a "thumping" or drumming sound (Figure 1). Work by Tony Hawkins and his colleagues in Europe have shown that haddock have a complex vocal behavior pattern that can be used to identify specific stages of courtship (Fig. 2).

 

Figure 1. Haddock sonic muscles (from Templeman and Hodder 1958).

Figure 2. Illustration of courtship and spawning behavior of haddock. Each stage of the courtship display is characterized by a different sound pattern (Illustration from Hawkins 1986).

 

Striped Cusk-eel, Ophidion marginatum

 

The striped cusk-eel is a highly vocal species thought to occur from New York to Florida. However, my recent work on Cape Cod reveals that this species is also very abundant in our estuarine and coastal waters. In fact, it is very abundant right here in the Waquoit Reserve. Cusk-eels are nocturnal and only come out of their burrows at night. Male cusk-eels set up a loud chorus at sunset during the summer to attract females for mating. They spawn nearly every night, with the female laying a small clutch of eggs in a gelatinous mass that looks just like a Ctenophore (comb jelly).

Figure 3. Illustration of male and female striped cusk-eels, Ophidion marginatum (adapted from Courtenay 1971).

 

 

Crevalle jack, Caranx hippos

The crevalle jack is a summer visitor to Cape Cod. The juveniles grow rapidly during the summer and migrate south in the fall. This species is highly vocal, and fishers often hear it protesting loudly when caught by hook-n-line. Little is known of its vocal behavior.

Weakfish, Cynoscion regalis

The weakfish is a prized gamefish from New England to Florida. It is a member of the large family of "drum" fishes (Sciaenidae) which are important fishery species, especially in the south. Like most of the drum fishes, the weakfish is highly vocal and produces vigorous croaking sounds when threatened and during spawning.

Striped searobin, Prionotus evolans

 

The striped searobin and its cousin the northern searobin are prolific sound producers. Have you ever caught one while fishing, only to hear it loudly yelling for its freedom? Little is known about this abundant and beautiful fish.

 

Longhorn sculpin, Myoxocephalus octodecimspinosus

 

The longhorn sculpin produces a quite, but obvious sound when handled. Commercial fishers call it the "buzz bomber" because it buzzes and vibrates in your hand when held. Little is known about the vocal behavior of this abundant northern fish. Until recently no one even knew how the fish produced its sound!

 

 

 

Northern puffer, Sphaeroides maculatus

 

The northern puffer is unusual in many ways. The kids will love its distinctive sound! It also occurs from Cape Cod to Florida. Unfortunately, nothing is known about its vocal behavior.

Oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau

 

 

The oyster toadfish is perhaps the best studied vocal fish in the world, however, still little is know about its vocal behavior in the natural world. The toadfish is thought to make two types of calls. A grunting sound when frightened or aggressive, and a "boatwhistle" sound. The boatwhistle sound is very distinctive and can be heard often in the early evening hours of the late spring and summer from Cape Cod to the Florida Keys. Interestingly, although the boatwhistle sound has been attributed to the toadfish for many years, it has never been observed in captivity! Its function is thought to be to call females to the male's nest, but further work is necessary to confirm this hypothesis.

 

Why should scientists, and YOU for that matter, care about fish sounds?

1) Applications

    1. Location of calling fishes allows identification of essential fish habitat (EFH)
    2. Continuous monitoring allows determination of daily and seasonal activity patterns
    3. Together with underwater video allows more detailed studies of fish behaviors
    4. Can be used to passively monitor anthropogenic impacts on EFH, and fish reaction to fishing activities
    5. With data on the sound characteristics of specific behaviors, can allow researchers to examine all of the above in regards to a specific behavior (e.g., spawning)
  1. Advantages
    1. Non-destruction, non-invasive
    2. Inexpensive relative to other technologies
    3. Long-term data acquisition capabilities
    4. Capability of remote monitoring
    5. High profile educational tool, increased public interest
    6. Works at night without bias (versus video)

     

  2. What can you do with the data?
    1. Web access to time-lapse or real time fish sounds - education and public interest
    2. Supplement long term monitoring of species diversity, particularly of cryptic soniferous species
    3. Seasonal temporal patterns of occurrence at a locality (i.e., when species first occur/or first become vocally active)
    4. Daily cycle in vocal activity
    5. Infer temporal patterns of local spawning for species with tight correlations between specific calls and spawning behavior
    6. Monitor temporal patterns in noise pollution at each locality
    7. Monitor sources of noise pollution (passing ships, small boats, trawling, scalloping, other activities can be distinguished)
    8. Examine potential impact of noise pollution on soniferous behaviors such as spawning activity
    9. With a single simple omni-directional hydrophone can get crude indicator of species abundance/spawning intensity (much more information can be derived from more sophisticated array systems)

 

 


This page was last modified on September 21, 2001

Copyright © 1999 by Rodney Rountree. All rights reserved

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