A state‑space model to derive motorboat noise efects on fsh movement from acoustic tracking data

Motorboat noise is recognized as a major source of marine pollution, however little is known about
its ecological consequences on coastal systems. We developed a State Space Model (SSM) that
incorporates an explicit dependency on motorboat noise to derive its efects on the movement of
resident fsh that transition between two behavioural states (swimming vs. hidden). To explore the
performance of our model, we carried out an experiment where free-living Serranus scriba were
tracked with acoustic tags, while motorboat noise was simultaneously recorded. We ftted the
generated tracking and noise data into our SSM and explored if the noise generated by motorboats
passing at close range afected the movement pattern and the probability of transition between
the two states using a Bayesian approach. Our results suggest high among individual variability in
movement patterns and transition between states, as well as in fsh response to the presence of
passing motorboats. These fndings suggest that the efects of motorboat noise on fsh movement
are complex and require the precise monitoring of large numbers of individuals. Our SSM provides a methodology to address such complexity and can be used for future investigations to study the effects of noise pollution on marine fish