Campbell, J.

Reubens, J.

Slabbekoorn, H.

van der Knaap, I.

Winter, W.

Open Marine Archive

27 
Oral presentation Pre-doc level 
Effects of seismic sound on the movement and behaviour of wild Atlantic 
Cod (Gadus morhua) in the BPNS  
van der Knaap Inge1, Reubens Jan2, Campbell James3, Winter Erwin3 and Slabbekoorn Hans3 
1  Universiteit Gent, Onderzoeksgroep Mariene Biologie (UGent-MARBIOL), Campus De Sterre S8, 
Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Gent, Belgium 
E-mail: inge.vanderknaap@ugent.be  
2  Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
3  Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen UR, PO Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden, The Netherlands 
In the search for offshore resources like oil and gas, exploration of the seabed is performed by 
seismic vessels. These vessels are equipped with air guns emitting a loud blasting sound 
towards the sea bottom. Due to its characteristics of low frequency and high power, these 
seismic sounds travels far and yield high resolution information on the bottom structure but 
that also makes it a potential tread to marine aquatic life. The hearing range of most fish falls 
within the low frequency range (100-500 Hz) and the effects seismic surveys might have on their 
behaviour and physiology are unclear. In 2016 a Joint Industry Program (JIP) was initiated to 
investigate the potential impacts of seismic sound on Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua). As part of 
this project we investigated the effects of a seismic survey on the movement and behaviour of 
wild cod resident in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS). In the summer of 2018 we tagged a 
total of 56 fish with acoustic transmitters to track their movement, depth usage and 
acceleration (average displacement along 3 axes) while a seismic survey took place. The survey 
was operational for three full days and had a closest approach of approximately 2km from the 
study site (Belwind offshore Windpark). Here, we will present the first results showing the 
movement and behaviour of individual wild cod and how this changes over time and under the 
influence of seismic sound. 
 
Keywords: Seismic sound; Telemetry; Atlantic cod; Animal behavior; BPNS 
 
 
  


Effects of seismic sound on the movement and behaviour of wild Atlantic Cod (<em>Gadus morhua</em>) in the BPNS

http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/324954.pdf

Effects of seismic sound on the movement and behaviour of wild Atlantic Cod (<em>Gadus morhua</em>) in the BPNS

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