Comparison of the marine soundscape before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in dolphin habitat in Sarasota Bay, FL

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 2022-12, Vol.152 (6), p.3170-3185
• Main Authors: Longden, E G, Gillespie, D, Mann, D A, McHugh, K A, Rycyk, A M, Wells, R S, Tyack, P L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Wild; Bays; Bottle-Nosed Dolphin; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Ecosystem; Humans; Pandemics
• ISSN: 0001-4966; 1520-8524
• DOI: 10.1121/10.0015366

During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in vessel activity and associated noise have been reported globally. Sarasota Bay is home to a large and increasing number of recreational vessels as well as a long-term resident community of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Data were analyzed from two hydrophones to compare the soundscape during the COVID-19 pandemic to previous years (March-May 2020 and 2018/2019). Hourly metrics were calculated: vessel passes, 95th percentile sound levels [125 Hz and 16 kHz third octave bands (TOBs), and two broader bands: 88-1122 Hz and 1781-17 959 Hz], and dolphin whistle detection to understand changes in vessel activity and the effect on wildlife. Vessel activity increased during COVID-19 restrictions by almost 80% at one site and remained the same at the other site. Of the four sound level measures, only the 125 Hz TOB and 88-1122 Hz band increased with vessel activity at both sites, suggesting that these may be appropriate measures of noise from rapid pass-bys of small vessels in very shallow (