title: Acoustic stress responses in juvenile sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax induced by offshore pile driving.
abstract: Underwater sound generated by pile driving during construction of offshore wind farms is a major concern in many countries. This paper reports on the acoustic stress responses in young European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (68 and 115 days old), based on four in situ experiments as close as 45 m from a pile driving activity. As a primary stress response, whole-body cortisol seemed to be too sensitive to 'handling' bias. On the other hand, measured secondary stress responses to pile driving showed significant reductions in oxygen consumption rate and low whole-body lactate concentrations. Furthermore, repeated exposure to impulsive sound significantly affected both primary and secondary stress responses. Under laboratory conditions, no tertiary stress responses (no changes in specific growth rate or Fulton's condition factor) were noted in young sea bass 30 days after the treatment. Still, the demonstrated acute stress responses and potentially repeated exposure to impulsive sound in the field will inevitably lead to less fit fish in the wild.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Animal Sciences, Fisheries, Bio-environmental Research Group, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium; Ghent University, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section, Krijgslaan 281 S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Elisabeth.Debusschere@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Debusschere
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Animal Sciences, Fisheries, Bio-environmental Research Group, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium. Electronic address: Kris.Hostens@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
authors.forename: Kris
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hostens
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium. Electronic address: Dominique.Adriaens@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adriaens
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Animal Sciences, Biostatistics and Data Modeling, Scheldeweg 68, 9090 Melle, Belgium. Electronic address: Bart.Ampe@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ampe
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Department of Information Technology, Research Group Acoustics, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Dick.Botteldooren@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Botteldooren
authors.affiliation: University of Antwerp, Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research (SPHERE), Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: Gudrun.Deboeck@uantwerpen.be.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Boeck
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Amelie.demuynck@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Amelie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Muynck
authors.affiliation: University of Antwerp, Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research (SPHERE), Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: Amit.kumarsinha@uantwerpen.be.
authors.forename: Amit Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Animal Sciences, Fisheries, Bio-environmental Research Group, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vandendriessche
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Proeftuinstraat 86, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Luc.VanHoorebeke@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Hoorebeke
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section, Krijgslaan 281 S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Magda.Vincx@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vincx
authors.affiliation: Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature), Marine Ecology and Management (MARECO), Gulledelle 100, 1200 Brussels, Belgium; Ghent University, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section, Krijgslaan 281 S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Steven.Degraer@naturalsciences.be.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Degraer
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001492:Bass / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D009622:Noise; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D019344:Lactic Acid; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Acute stress responses; Fitness; Impulsive sound; In situ experiments; Juvenile fish