Do Offshore Wind Farms at Miaoli Cause Acoustic Deterrence to White Dolphin and Fish? Reveals a Short-Term Study at Taiwan Strait

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was deployed at three locations (Miaoli, Taichung, and Changhua) along the Taiwan Strait for seven days to study marine soundscapes. The acoustic data analysis revealed biophony from Sousa chinensis taiwanensis. (the Taiwanese White Dolphins, TWD), diurnal chorusing from two types of fish, and one unidentified cetacean (possibly false killer whale or Indo-Pacific finless porpoise). The main anthropogenic contribution at these sites originated from persistent vessel movements and continuous low-frequency (10-200 Hz) noise. Results demonstrated higher low-frequency sound levels and vessel detection rates in the Miaoli area compared to Taichung and Changhua. A reduced number of fish chorusing was observed in the Miaoli area, while no acoustic activity from TWD was detected. Additionally, through a workshop gathering feedback on current underwater noise guidelines, experts provided recommendations from environmental protection, technical measurement, and regulatory perspectives, emphasizing the impacts of pile driving noise on dolphin metabolism and vocalization, as well as the necessity of lifecycle noise management for wind farms. The short-term soundscape monitoring results presented in this study indicate elevated noise levels at Miaoli, potentially associated with offshore wind farm-related activities, affecting both fish vocalization and TWD activities.