The auditory threshold levels of walleye pollock Theragra chalcogramma (Pallas) were measured in order to determine the optimum conditions for marine ranching utilizing underwater sound. The auditory characteristics of walleye pollock were determined by heart beat conditioning using 8 frequencies of pure tone stimuli from 60 to 1, 000Hz coupled with an electric shock. Pure tone conditioning stimuli were presented to the fish for 5 seconds with a 0.1 second 12V DC electric shock applied 3 seconds after the start of the sound projection. The positive response to the pure tone stimulus of the conditioned fish consisted of an inhibition of one or more heartbeats.
Results show that tested walleye pollock are sensitive to pure tones in the frequency range from 60 to 1kHz, with greatest sensitivity in the range from 120 to 200Hz. At the most sensitive frequencies, the mean thresholds were between 97.7 and 100.2dB (re 1μPa) under a background noise level between 55 and 75dB (re 1μPa/√Hz). Hearing ability declined gradually with increasing frequency above 400Hz. The upper limit of audible frequency is believed to be about 1kHz.
