Damon P. Gannon

Bioacoustics of Fishes of the Family Sciaenidae (Croakers and Drums)

Abstract The teleost family Sciaenidae, collectively known as the croakers and drums because of their propensity for making sound, includes roughly 70 genera and 270 species worldwide. Although many other groups of fish also communicate using sound, the sciaenids are unique in the diversity of their sound production mechanisms, variety of sounds produced, and structural variation in sound-detecting structures. This paper reviews the bioacoustics of sciaenid fishes, including mechanisms involved in the production and reception of sound, the types of sounds produced, and the functions of these sounds. We propose the hypothesis that the unusual diversity in the design of the structures associated with sound production and detection is correlated with a similar diversity in how these structures function. Production and detection of sound appear to be important aspects of sciaenid behavior. But despite the vast literature on sciaenid sound production, we know relatively little about the biological significance...

Passive Acoustic Techniques in Fisheries Science: A Review and Prospectus

Abstract An extremely wide variety of fish taxa produce sound. Sound production behavior provides an opportunity to study various aspects of fish biology, such as spawning behavior and habitat selection, in a noninvasive manner. Passive acoustics is an active area of ichthyological research. However, fish bioacousticians have generally not published their research in the fisheries literature. Therefore, fisheries scientists may not be fully aware of progress being made in this field or of potential uses for passive acoustic techniques. In this paper, I discuss the evolutionary, physiological, and behavioral aspects of sound production by fishes; investigate the publication patterns of research on fish sound production; review the literature on the application of passive acoustic methods to fisheries research; and suggest ways of designing passive acoustic surveys to optimize the quantity and quality of information obtained. Passive acoustic methods can be an attractive alternative or supplement to traditi...

Food habits of Sowerby’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens) taken in the pelagic drift gillnet fishery of the western North Atlantic

This paper is not subject to U.S. copyright. The definitive version was published in Fishery Bulletin 111 (2013): 381-389, doi:10.7755/FB.111.4.7.