Papers by Joseph Luczkovich
By using a remotely controlled autonomous vehicle ("Blackbeard" the Acoustic Wave Glide... more By using a remotely controlled autonomous vehicle ("Blackbeard" the Acoustic Wave Glider), the authors made recordings of sounds produced by striped cusk eels, sea robins, oyster toadfish, weakfish, red drum, spotted seatrout, bottlenose dolphins, and humpback whales in Onslow Bay, North Carolina. The article describes the wave glider, the sound recording system used on the wave glider, and presents data recorded along the track followed by the glider mission in August 2017.The National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant (1429315), East Carolina University (ECU) Division of Research and Economic Development and Engagement (REDE), The ECU Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Science, The ECU Department of Biology, The ECU Department of Physics, and ECU Institute for Coastal Science and Policy (ICSP)
Data collected by the acoustic wave glider Blackbeard on Mission 6 in Onslow Bay 2017-08-01 to 20... more Data collected by the acoustic wave glider Blackbeard on Mission 6 in Onslow Bay 2017-08-01 to 2017-08-09.
Powerpoint file from presentation given at the meeting. This file includes several embedded videos.
References Connaughton, M.A., and Taylor M.H. (1995). “Seasonal and daily cycles in sound product... more References Connaughton, M.A., and Taylor M.H. (1995). “Seasonal and daily cycles in sound production associated with spawning in the weakfish, Cynoscion regalis.” Env. Biol. Fishes 42, 233–240. Holt, S. A. (2008). “Distribution of Red Drum Spawning Sites Identified by a Towed Hydrophone Array”. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc., 137, 551-561. Luczkovich, J. J., Rulifson, R.A., Sprague M.W. (In Press). “Listening to Ocean Life: Monitoring Fish, Marine Mammal Sounds with Wave Glider.” Sea Technology. Luczkovich, J.J., Pullinger, R. C., Johnson, S. E. and Sprague, M. W. (2008). “Identifying Sciaenid Critical Spawning Habitats by the Use of Passive Acoustics”. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 137, 576–605.
The National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant (1429315), East Carolina Uni... more The National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant (1429315), East Carolina University (ECU) Division of Research and Economic Development and Engagement (REDE), The ECU Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Science, The ECU Department of Biology, The ECU Department of Physics, and ECU Institute for Coastal Science and Policy (ICSP).
Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, 2016
Male oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) produce boatwhistle sounds to attract females to shelters in s... more Male oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) produce boatwhistle sounds to attract females to shelters in shallow water estuaries. Calls are produced in a natural soundscape that include snapping shrimp (Alpheidae sp.) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus, toadfish predators) sounds. The purpose of this study is to determine if soundscape alterations from vessels and predators cause acoustic disturbance in toadfish courtship calling behavior. Six sound types were played to toadfish in shelters positioned at 1 m from an underwater speaker: snapping shrimp sounds (Shrimp, control), low-frequency (LFDolphin) and high-frequency (HFDolphin) bottlenose dolphin biosonar, inboard (Inboard) and outboard motorboat (Outboard) noises, and a combination of vessel and predator sounds (Both). Toadfish calling rates were quantified in 600 s intervals before, during, and after noise exposure and an ANOVA was used to compare mean rates. Playback type and site (noisy vs quiet) significantly influenced toadfish calling rates (F ...
Noise exposure has been shown to have negative impacts on fish. This study introduces the F-weigh... more Noise exposure has been shown to have negative impacts on fish. This study introduces the F-weighting function for assessing the effects of audible sounds on fish. Sound levels with the F-weighting function emphasize the frequencies that the fish can detect and suppresses frequencies the fish cannot detect. A hydrophone was placed at locations of shelters or "dens" colonized by oyster toadfish Opsanus tau in very shallow water (1-2 m depth). Sounds produced by three representative passing vessels-an inboard boat, an outboard boat, and a tugboat pushing a barge-in nearby channels were recorded. Each vessel produced sounds at the den location at levels audible to the fish. The vessel sounds were not loud enough to produce temporary threshold shifts or permanent hearing losses in the fish, but they were loud enough to produce behavioral effects, masking of conspecific and predator sounds, the Lombard effect, and possibly an increase of stress hormones. Also, for comparison with the noisy site, sounds were measured at a quiet site where no vessels were present. The loudest sounds at the quiet site had similar sound pressure levels to the quietest sounds at the noisy site at a time when no vessels were detected.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 2016
The question we addressed in this study is whether oyster toadfish respond to vessel disturbances... more The question we addressed in this study is whether oyster toadfish respond to vessel disturbances by calling less when vessels with lower frequency spectra are present in a sound recording and afterward. Long-term data recorders were deployed at the Neuse (high vessel-noise site) and Pamlico (low vessel-noise site) Rivers. There were many fewer toadfish detections at the high vessel-noise site than the low-noise station. Calling rates were lower in the high-boat traffic area, suggesting that toadfish cannot call over loud vessel noise, reducing the overall calling rate, and may have to call more often when vessels are not present.
Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science, 2011
This introduction covers the main components of coastal and estuarine food webs along with the se... more This introduction covers the main components of coastal and estuarine food webs along with the selected examples of such systems. The food web is instrumental in the structuring of the system and the pathways for the transfer of energy provide the routes along which other substances, including contaminants, are passed. The contributions emphasise not just the functional roles in the system and their importance, but also the problems faced, particularly in terms of anthropogenic pressures. An understanding of how these systems work is vital for sustainable development.
Encyclopedia of Fish Physiology, 2011
Fishes hear and produce a variety of sounds that allow them to interpret their environment as wel... more Fishes hear and produce a variety of sounds that allow them to interpret their environment as well as communicate with their conspecifics. Some sounds are incidental sounds made while swimming and feeding. Other sounds are signals associated with feeding, predator avoidance, territory defense, reproduction, and echolocation. Of these sounds, one of the most pervasive is when males make advertisement sounds to communicate their readiness to spawn, as found especially in the families Sciaenidae, Gadidae, and Batrachoididae. Sounds may provide information to the listener on the behaviors, sex, or size of the fish, allowing scientists to use sound to better understand the fish behavior.
is a coastal oceanographer and ecohydrologist. His research interests include the oceanography an... more is a coastal oceanographer and ecohydrologist. His research interests include the oceanography and sediment dynamics of coral reefs, mangroves, and muddy estuaries. They also include the interaction between physical and biological processes determining the ecosystem health in tropical riverine, estuarine, and waters. Wolanski led the UNESCO-ROSTE estuarine ecohydrology modeling efforts to quantify the impact from farming, dams, irrigation, and urban ization on the ecological services that estuaries provide to humanity. The ecohydrol ogy models that have resulted have been applied to assess the human impact on coral cover in the Great Barrier Reef, Darwin Harbour, coastal waters of Micronesia, and Tanzania savannah ecosystems. Wolanski has more than 330 scientific papers and seven books. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Institution of Engineers Australia, and l' ' was awarded an Australian Centenary medal for services in estuarine and coastal oceanography, a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Catholic University of Louvain, and a Queensland Information Technology and Telecommunication award for excellence. Wolanski is the chief editor of Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, Wetlands Ecology and Management, and the Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science. He is a member of the editorial board of Journal of Coastal Research, Journal of Marine Systems, and Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology. He is a member of the Scientific and Policy Committee of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP)'s LOICZ (Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone) and of EMECS (Japan-based International Center for Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas). Académie Royale des Sciences d Outre-Mer. He
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 2001
The goal of this study was to develop a passive acoustic survey protocol to identify spawning hab... more The goal of this study was to develop a passive acoustic survey protocol to identify spawning habitats of sciaenid fishes. Based on comparisons of recordings of captive-fish and field recordings of species-specific courtship sounds, spawning areas of red drum, weakfish, spotted sea trout, and silver perch (Family Sciaenidae) have been identified in Pamlico Sound, NC. Sciaenid sounds were recorded using either a portable hydrophone deployed from a boat or timer-operated sonobuoys. Loudness of mating choruses of weakfish and silver perch was strongly correlated with the abundance of pelagic sciaenid-type eggs, suggesting that these areas were used for spawning. Sonobuoy recordings showed that weakfish spawned only in the high-salinity habitats near the inlets, spotted sea trout spawned predominantly in the low-salinity areas near the river mouths, silver perch spawned in both high- and low-salinity areas, and red drum spawned most commonly in low-salinity areas, but only in September....
Ciguatoxin fish poisoning (CFP) is caused by the consumption of tropical and subtropical fishes a... more Ciguatoxin fish poisoning (CFP) is caused by the consumption of tropical and subtropical fishes and other marine species with high levels of ciguatoxin (CTX) in their tissues. CTX is a polycyclic neurotoxin produced by single-celled, photosynthetic dinoflagellates in the Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa genera which are found in close association with benthic autotrophs. CTX enters the food web when these dinoflagellates are inadvertently consumed by herbivores grazing on their preferred substrates. The toxin biomagnifies up the food chain to the top predators and if humans consume seafood with high levels of CTX it can cause a variety of flu-like symptoms. The best way to avoid CFP is to avoid toxic fishes. However, CTX is undetectable by physical inspection. This study investigated local fishers’ knowledge of ciguatera hotspots and coldspots along Puerto Rican coral reefs using toxic-dinoflagellate cell counts and by estimating fish toxicity in those sites using a cell-based Neuro-2a cyt...
Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022
Most passive acoustic studies of the soundscape rely on fixed recorders, which provide good tempo... more Most passive acoustic studies of the soundscape rely on fixed recorders, which provide good temporal resolution of variation in the soundscape, but poor spatial coverage. In contrast, a mobile recording device can show variation in the soundscape over large spatial areas. We used a Liquid Robotics SV2 wave glider fitted with a tow body with a passive acoustic recorder and hydrophone, to survey and record the soundscape of the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina (United States). Recordings were analyzed using power spectral band (PSB) sums in frequencies associated with soniferous fish species in the families Sciaenidae (drums and croakers), Ophidiidae (cusk-eels), Batrachoididae (toadfish), Triglidae (sea robins), and Serranidae (groupers). PSB sums were plotted as the wave glider moved offshore and along the coast, came back inshore, and circled artificial and natural reefs. The soundscape in water <20 m was dominated by nocturnal fish choruses with PSB sums > 120 dB re 1 μPa2:...
Underwater sounds include steady-state vessel noise, tran-sient animal calls, and impulsive pile ... more Underwater sounds include steady-state vessel noise, tran-sient animal calls, and impulsive pile driving sounds. We developed a finite difference time domain (FDTD) model
ABSTRACT Bottom trawling captures shrimp and a large number of non-target fish and invertebrate s... more ABSTRACT Bottom trawling captures shrimp and a large number of non-target fish and invertebrate species (by-catch). Although 11,700 trawling trips have been recorded in Core Sound in areas open to trawling since 2001, this number has recently been declining to low levels. We used biological sampling and harvests from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to construct ECOPATH models of trawling impacts and other gears in Core Sound. We explored some of the ecosystem differences between open and closed areas using ECOPATH model outputs and predict the future of shrimp trawling using ECOSIM. We examined ECOSIM scenarios that included lower shrimp trawling, a gill net ban, and increased salinity due to climate change. Net primary production computed in ECOPATH was greater in the open trawling areas. Reduced shrimp trawling will produce more jellyfish, flounders, and shrimp. A gill net ban will increase the biomass of striped mullet, sharks, flounders and red drum. Climate change will increase salinities, leading to more shrimp biomass. ECOPATH models allow exploration of indirect impacts.
Fishes and marine mammals make sounds and listen for predators and conspecifics, i.e., they commu... more Fishes and marine mammals make sounds and listen for predators and conspecifics, i.e., they communicate underwater using sound. Longspine squirrelfish Holocentrus rufus are nocturnal reef fishes living in the Caribbean that commonly produce low-frequency sounds at dawn and dusk. In order to determine the reactions of longspine squirrelfish to sounds made by their conspecifics and by their potential predators, we performed experiments in which we played the grunting sounds of longspine squirrelfish and the echolocation and signature whistle sounds of bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus through an underwater speaker on the reef at the Institute for Marine Studies, Calabash Caye, Turneffe Atoll, Belize. At the surface, a portable laptop computer was programmed to playback a series of sounds in the following sequence: preplayback period with no sounds (8 min in experiment 1, 5 min in experiment 2), 700-Hz tone (10 min), longspine squirrelfish grunts (10 min), bottlenose dolphin echolo...
Trawling has been shown to cause high mortality of discarded species (bycatch) and short-term eco... more Trawling has been shown to cause high mortality of discarded species (bycatch) and short-term ecological disturbance to bottom communities in coastal systems, resulting in lowered benthic biomass. Here we report evidence of a trawling-induced trophic cascade resulting in an increase in biomass of benthic polychaetes after the end of the shrimp trawling season in areas open to trawling in North Carolina (USA). Using comparative measurements of abundance of bycatch species and benthos in open and closed trawling management areas and Ecopath network modeling, we show that trawling in the open area has led to increases in deposit-feeding polychaetes and decreases in bycatch species (fish and crabs) that are benthic predators on the polychaetes. We conclude that proposed management actions to reduce the shrimp trawl fishery effort will influence other net and trap fisheries for southern flounder and blue crabs indirectly, as revealed by our network models, and the proposed trawling ban m...
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Papers by Joseph Luczkovich