Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) of the brown meagre Sciaena umbra was conducted in a northern Adriatic Sea mussel farm. The level of acoustic activity was found to be constantly high from June to August before declining sharply in September and there was significantly higher acoustic activity in the structured habitats within the mussel farm than in the bare sandy bottom outside the farm. Results are discussed in the context of the use of this species as an indicator species of artificial rocky habitats along the Mediterranean coastal environments.
Keywords: Sciaena umbra; brown meagre; fish aggregation; habitat selection; mussel farm; passive acoustics.
© 2018 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.