[MARMAM] New publication: Year-round acoustic patterns of dolphins and interaction with anthropogenic activities in the Sicily Strait, central Mediterranean Sea

[elena.papale at cnr.it]

Dear MARMAM community,

My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our recent publication in  
Ocean and Coastal Management:

Papale E., Alonge G., Grammauta R., Ceraulo M., Giacoma C., Mazzola  
S., Buscaino G. 2020 Year-round acoustic patterns of dolphins and  
interaction with anthropogenic activities in the Sicily Strait,  
central Mediterranean Sea 197, 105320

Here is the links to the paper  
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569120302301?dgcid=author


Abstract:
Understanding spatio-temporal patterns of top predators can be crucial  
for evaluating key habitats, assessing the effects of anthropogenic  
activity and consequently applying suitable management policies. Here,  
we characterized dolphins acoustic occurrence and interactions with  
boat presence and noise in the waters of the Sicily Strait. A  
hydrophone was deployed on an elastic beacon three miles off the coast  
of south-west Sicily, and recorded continuously for 14 months, from  
January 2015. Results revealed that packed and train clicks types were  
the most detected signals, suggesting that animals were especially  
involved in feeding activity. A regular year-round acoustic presence  
was recorded, with seasonal variability. Two peaks were detected  
during the year in August and November, concurrently with a possible  
increase in fish biomass in the area. An abrupt decrease in click  
detection rate in September coincides with the biological shutdown in  
2015 and the shift of fishing vessels offshore, suggesting a possible  
movement of dolphins following trawlers. Furthermore, dolphins  
vocalized more during the night-time, probably carrying out movements  
to and from the coast. Results indicated that dolphins interact with  
trawlers during mid-morning when an intermediate level of activity was  
collected, but click detection rate decreased with increasing noise  
levels at one-third octave bands centered at 250 Hz. Outcomes can help  
inform conservation efforts and the development of monitoring  
programmes focused on environmental impact assessments under the EU  
Marine Strategy Framework Directive.


Some of you might also be interested in other recent papers we  
published this year:

       •	Papale E., Prakash S., Singh S., Batibasaga A., Buscaino G.,  
Piovano S. (2020) Soundscape of green turtle foraging habitats in  
Fiji, South Pacific. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0236628.  
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236628

which can be found at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236628
and

      •	Ceraulo M., Sal Moyano M.P., Bazterrica M.C., Hidalgo F.J.,  
Papale E., Grammauta R., Gavio M.A., Mazzola S., Buscaino G. (2020)  
Spatial and temporal variability of the soundscape in a Southwestern  
Atlantic coastal lagoon. Hydrobiologia 847, 2255–2277.

which can be found at https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s10750-020-04252-8

If you have any question or to request a pdf copy directly, you can  
contact me at elena.papale at cnr.it

Cheers,
Elena


____________________
Elena Papale, PhD
Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts
and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (IAS),
National Research Council,
Torretta Granitola (TP), Italy
and
Department of Life Science and Systems Biology
University of Torino,Torino, Italy

elena.papale at ias.cnr.it
elena.papale at unito.it
elenabiancapapale at gmail.com