Effects of Tidal Turbine Noise on Fish Task 2.1.3.2: Effects on Aquatic Organisms: Acoustics/Noise - Fiscal Year 2011 - Progress Report - Environmental Effects of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy

Halvorsen, Michele B. ; Carlson, Thomas J. ; Copping, Andrea E.

关键词: ACOUSTICS;    AQUATIC ORGANISMS;    ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS;    FREQUENCY RANGE;    HABITAT;    JUVENILES;    PROGRESS REPORT;    PUGET SOUND;    SALMON;    SENSITIVITY;    SPECTRA;    TURBINES Acoustics;    physiological effects;    fish;    Chinook salmon;    tidal turbine;    noise;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1027181
RP-ID  :  PNNL-20787
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1027181
Others  :  Other: EB4500000
Others  :  TRN: US201123%%140

学科分类：环境科学（综合）

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

Naturally spawning stocks of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) that utilize Puget Sound are listed as threatened (http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/ESA-Salmon-Listings/Salmon-Populations/ Chinook/CKPUG.cfm). Plans exist for prototype tidal turbines to be deployed into their habitat. Noise is known to affect fish in many ways, such as causing a threshold shift in auditory sensitivity or tissue damage. The characteristics of noise, its spectra and level, are important factors that influence the potential for the noise to injure fish. For example, the frequency range of the tidal turbine noise includes the audiogram (frequency range of hearing) of most fish. This study (Effects on Aquatic Organisms, Subtask 2.1.3.2: Acoustics) was performed during FY 2011 to determine if noise generated by a 6-m-diameter open-hydro turbine might affect juvenile Chinook salmon hearing or cause barotrauma. After they were exposed to simulated tidal turbine noise, the hearing of juvenile Chinook salmon was measured and necropsies performed to check for tissue damage. Experimental groups were (1) noise exposed, (2) control (the same handling as treatment fish but without exposure to tidal turbine noise), and (3) baseline (never handled). Preliminary results indicate that low levels of tissue damage may have occurred but that there were no effects of noise exposure on the auditory systems of the test fish.