Research facilities
MIGRADROME
- Application
- A seven-metre glass tunnel, filled with running water, and equipped with speakers and cameras. An artificial river for investigating what light and sound pollution do to migrating fish.
- Contact
- Hans Slabbekoorn
MIGRADROME project
Fishes rely heavily on sound and many species use sound to find their way during migration or dispersal. Many fish species have been shown to be affected by noise pollution through disturbance, deterrence, and distraction, or through masking of biologically relevant sounds. When fishes are migrating up or down rivers they may be guided acoustically through natural soundscapes, but they may also encounter very noisy places due to boat traffic, which they may not be able to avoid or pass.
Fishes will be tested for the impact of sound conditions on movement decisions in the MIGRADROME-swim tunnel. We will collect and test natural soundscapes and mix these with vessel sound stimuli. We will investigate acoustic responsiveness in decisions by fish about staying or leaving, moving on or going back, given a suit of environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, and salinity. This novel set-up will integrate the latest of established swim tunnel technology allowing manipulation of various combinations of experimental exposure conditions.