In April 2016, Dr. Eric Montie (biology professor at USCB) and his students began a fish acoustical monitoring program thanks to a grant from the LCI. The research team monitored underwater hydrophones deployed in two locations in Chechessee Creek and one in the Great Salt Pond on Spring Island. They also seined (netted a section of creek) in those areas bimonthly to document the kinds and abundance of larval fish found in the areas near each hydrophone.

The underwater recordings were an excellent way to identify breeding and spawning activity of important saltwater fish in local tidal creeks. The team found that there was greater biological sound in Chechessee Creek compared to the Great Salt Pond (a nearby saltwater impoundment). There were no spawning aggregations of silver perch, spotted sea trout, and red drum detected in the impoundment, while courtship calls of oyster toadfish and spawning aggregations of silver perch and spotted seatrout were recorded in Chechessee Creek. Further, the data showed that specific sections of the creeks provide critical spawning areas whereas other sections do not. Young-of-the-year silver perch, spotted sea trout, and red drum were abundant in Chechessee Creek, indicating these fish species utilize the creek as a nursery habitat.

Dr. Montie has been monitoring the May River extensively for several years and a new grant will allow him to expand his work to other creeks surrounding Spring Island. His monitoring protocol will include quantifying the following: abundance of marine life as measured by a hydrophone, sampling fish and invertebrates using seining to compare with hydrophone data, dolphin surveys and basic water quality measurements taken during hydrophone and seining.