It is preferable that methods for monitoring fish behavior, diversity, and abundance be noninvasive to avoid potential bias. Optical imaging facilitates the noninvasive monitoring of underwater environments and is best conducted without the use of artificial lighting. Here, we describe a custom-designed optical imaging system that utilizes a consumer-grade camera to capture images in situ in ambient light. This diver-deployed...

Underwater sound is used by many marine larvae to orient to coastal habitats including backreef, sponge-dominated hardbottom habitat in the Florida Keys (FL, United States)—a particularly “noisy” coastal habitat. However, the distance over which acoustic cues are attractive to settlement-stage larvae is generally unknown. We examined this phenomenon in a region of the Florida Keys where mass sponge die-offs have diminished bot...

Soundscape ecology is a relatively new field that can provide insights into the structure and health of marine habitats. Though this field is growing, the acoustics of many marine habitats, including the giant kelp forests off Southern California, remain poorly studied. Here, we examine the diel and seasonal periodicity of kelp forest soundscapes within a protected and unprotected site off San Diego, CA. Singular value decompo...