FishSounds Versions 2 and 3: Achieving the Largest Global Database of Fish Sound Production

Abstract

Motivation Fish sounds are integral to a variety of ecological functions, including reproduction, predator–prey interactions and recruitment, with ever‐growing interest in their relationships to anthropogenic impacts and applications for passive acoustic monitoring. Until recently, however, fish sound production data were often not easily accessible, limiting research, management and public awareness. FishSounds.net launched in 2021 to compile and disseminate global fish sound production information and recordings. Here, we describe the subsequent FishSounds version releases 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0 and 3.1 (cumulatively referred to as Versions 2 and 3). We updated the core dataset to include any fish species studied for sound production up until the year 2023. We added over 1000 new fish sound recordings, collated from FishSounds contributors or Cornell University's Macaulay Library. Connections with FishBase and the World Register of Marine Species were strengthened to improve the species information provided on FishSounds and facilitate data sharing. We also created several interactive visualisation tools, including a dendrogram and map view, to allow users to explore trends in known fish sound production. These updates have made FishSounds now the largest catalogue of fish sound production knowledge, utilised by over 17,000 users annually and featuring 1252 fish species studied across 1013 references as well as 1304 recordings. Main Types of Variables Contained Fish sound production information compiled from the scientific literature, representative fish sound recordings with associated metadata and supporting images and species data drawn from other repositories. Spatial Location and Grain Global. Time Period and Grain 1874–2023. Major Taxa and Level of Measurement Fishes (Agnatha, Chondrichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Actinopterygii). All sound production information and most recordings have species‐level identification, with any others identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Software Format The complete database is presented on FishSounds.net , with versioned image, audio, tabular and text files in a Borealis data repository.

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