The negative impact of noise also reaches the world of silence

Most fish hear well and different sounds are an important and active part of their lives. Noise and sonar disturbances disrupt their daily lives and in the case of dolphins and whales - even cause them to come ashore and die

Vehicle movement, machine work, airplanes and in addition to that "entertainment centers" that drum their surroundings with deafening noise. The impact and damages are known and recognized, living in the wild as well as for humans, we have already heard about "urban" birds that invest more effort in courtship songs and announcements of presence, an effort that detracts from reproductive skills. We have seen whales and dolphins "suicide" by the humpback due to damage by ship noises and ultrasonic communication (sonar) in the sea.

And as for harming people, it has long been known that the noise in entertainment centers causes hearing loss, an increase in blood pressure, damage to the heart's activity and brain damage. Tests in Europe have shown that tenants are willing to pay about 5 euros for a decrease in the level of each decibel (noise), meaning that there are countries whose residents have realized that noise is a nuisance.
Now it turns out that the noise also affects the "silence-world", those fish that are considered quiet (and deaf) are harmed by noises in the water, noises that originate from humans.

Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands tested the effect of noise from different sources on fish in different places and regions around the world. The research is published in the Monthly Ecology and Evolution - Trends in Ecology and Evolution. The researchers came to the (logical) conclusion that the noise is a disturbance to the point of risk, since most fish hear well and different sounds are an important and active part of their lives.

Therefore increasing noise affects the presence and activity of the fish in different areas, since the noise affects their ability to communicate for the purpose of reproduction, to warn off crazy people and for various "social" needs, the fish avoid noisy places. In other words, the fish run away from noise.

People refer to the world of fish as the "world of silence", simply because sounds in the water are not heard by those outside the water, according to the researchers "the world of water is not silent at all". Fish hear through their inner ear or by sensor lines along their body, different fish species have varying hearing capacity, usually the fish hear in the range between 30-1000 Hz, but there are species that hear up to 50000 Hz and others that hear in much lower ranges.

So far, about 800 species of fish from about 100 families have been tested, most of them make (and hear) sounds at frequencies below 500 Hz. The sounds are made in frictions over living areas or food, gathering for breeding purposes, for locating prey or escaping from predators. The ability to hear means that voices/noises that are not part of the natural environment constitute a disturbance! Interference with the movement of fish in the sea, interference with their ability to communicate and therefore their ability to reproduce. There are reports of schools of fish fleeing from sources of noise, when the source of the noise is in spawning or eating areas of fish... the damage is obvious.

So far the results of studies and surveys relating to the effect of noise produced in an aquatic environment, for some reason the researchers did not refer to the noise penetrating the water from land, so I have more to add. Every morning, amateur fishermen throw fishing rods into the Gulf of Eilat on the north coast. On the beach there are "kiosks" whose owners feel obliged to advertise their presence by playing "music" loudly. On holidays and Saturdays the noise increases into a stupendous cacophony along all the beaches. The veteran fishermen know that on Saturdays and holidays the chances of fishing drop to... zero. The connection seems clear.

A few days ago I saw a news item along the lines of "The National Environmental Management, with the backing of the police and city inspectors, "hauled" about 40 bar and nightclub operators to arrest and trial, the bars and clubs will be closed until they see that they comply with the noise regulations..."... "At the same time, drivers who played loud music while driving were arrested" . encouraging? Yes, but all this happened in Kampala (Uganda) - Africa,

Our police officers do not understand the concept of noise, do not know the regulations to prevent it and do not see their role as the enforcers of the regulations. Since the city inspectors (alone) are not able to enforce laws and regulations to prevent noise, since the police... the police do not understand what noise is, since according to research noise harms fish and as we know many fish in the Gulf of Eilat are considered a protected natural value, since according to the law the role/duty of inspectors The Nature and Parks Authority to prevent damage to protected natural values, it is clear that it is their duty to prevent noise on the beaches.

I call on all those who are obligated by law and their duty to protect our environment to join forces: the municipal inspectors, police officers, "marine pollution" inspectors, and inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority, to inspect the damage to the marine environment and accordingly to stop the noise.