Analysis of biological fish vocalization characteristics and diel variation characteristics of the Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus and Bluefin gurnard Chelidonichthys kumu
Fish vocalization and diel variation patterns of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) and bluefin gurnard (Chelidonichthys kumu) were investigated using passive acoustic monitoring at a sea-cage facility off Tongyeong, Korea. Autonomous recordings were collected from February 3 to 15, 2023 (Pacific cod) and from September 19 to October 2, 2025 (bluefin gurnard). Power spectral density (PSD) was used to quantify spectral structure and diel variability, and pulse-based grunt detection was applied to time vocal events. For both species, dominant spectral energy occurred below 1 kHz, concentrated at 0.1 – 0.5 kHz for Pacific cod and 0.1 – 0.8 kHz for bluefin gurnard. Pacific cod exhibited a pattern of consistently increasing acoustic activity throughout the night. Bluefin gurnard activity was primarily restricted to approximately 2 hours after sunset and sunrise, exhibiting relatively low chorus signals. The SPL were approximately 107-125 dB re 1 μPa for Pacific cod and approximately 103 – 110 dB re 1 μPa for bluefin gurnard. Based on the diel variation pattern, high-activity (22:00 – 06:00 KST) and low-activity (10:00 – 18:00 KST) phases were defined, and empirical probability density profiles summarized frequency-dependent distribution shifts between phases. The acoustic characteristics and diel variation patterns of the two fish species' sounds will help manage fishery resources and identify spawning and fishing grounds.