Noise results in lower quality of an important forage fish the Pacific sand lance, Ammodytes personatus
Date
2025
Authors
Carlson, Nora V.
White, Meredith A.V.
Tavera, Jose
O'Hara, Patrick D.
Baker, Matthew R.
Bertram, Douglas F., Summers, Adam
Fifield, David A.
Juanes, Francis
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Marine Pollution Bulletin
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a pervasive environmental pollutant that continues to expand and increase globally, especially in marine environments, affecting many marine animals, especially fish. Although interest and concern regarding the effects of noise on fish has increased, most studies still focus on the effects noise has on individual species, often overlooking wider system-level consequences. This is particularly true of trophically important species such as forage fish. We investigated how different types of anthropogenic noise affect the quality of an important forage fish species, Pacific sand lance, Ammodytes personatus, which could impact the many species that rely on them. We found that, compared to controls, fish in noisy environments had lower energy density and lower weight at a given length. These results suggest that even over shorter periods of time the anthropogenic noise could reduce sand lance quality, which in-turn could cascade up the food chain causing drastic ecosystem-level consequences.
Description
Keywords
anthropogenic noise, forage fish, ammodytes personatus, Pacific sand lance, energy density, predator-prey relationships
Citation
Carlson, N. V., White, M. A., Tavera, J., O'Hara, P. D., Baker, M. R., Bertram, D. F., Summers, A., Fifield, D. A., & Juanes, F. (2025). Noise results in lower quality of an important forage fish, the Pacific sand lance, Ammodytes personatus. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 213, 117664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117664