Kelp Forest Research

For over 10 years, researchers at the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research (PIER) have used Loggerhead products to study white seabass. Using the acoustic data they collected, the team identified spawning-related sounds (chants) the fish make around sunset in May and June. This confirmed the utility of a bioacoustic approach to non-invasively identify white seabass spawning periods and locations.

Once the locations and periodicities of the fish were identified, acoustic recordings showed that spawning occurs in several Southern California kelp bed communities. PIER continues to acoustically monitor these areas to assess the effectiveness of the newly established Southern California Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to safeguard white seabass populations.