Abstract
In this paper, we examine the validity of pulse count of snapping shrimps for sea environmental monitoring. Snapping shrimps exist everywhere in the World Sea, and they make peculiar strong pulse sounds. Pulse count can be achieved merely by recording their sounds for a few minutes by using a hydrophone without special biological knowledge. From field surveys and laboratory experiments, we found that the pulse count depends on water temperature when sea environment is normal, and it falls by the occurrence of oxygen-deficient water. The results show that this method can be a useful index of the effect of water pollution on benthic animals in fixed-point observation.
