Using fish music to save coral reefs

Marine Biologist Aran Mooney has proposed a possible solution to all of the ongoing issues with coral reefs: fish music. 

Working with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts, Mooney and a team of scientists began placing underwater microphones throughout ocean waters to listen to the sounds fish make. The National Public Radio (NPR) conveyed that fish typically produce music by striking their muscles and swim bladders together, creating a bass drum sound that reverberates in the water.

The scientists formulated a plan to use the fish music to revitalize dying coral reefs—when they observed that no sounds were present, indicating a lack of biodiversity, the team would play healthy reef fish music on underwater speakers. Their intention was to attract fish and coral larvae to increase the reef population, which would protect reefs from climate change because higher levels of biodiversity result in a stronger environment that can resist disruptions.

The scientists’ plan was successful and covered by NPR, as the experimental reefs that heard recorded fish music expanded their coral population by two to three times.

Mooney highlighted the significance of this discovery which could potentially decrease the death rate of coral reefs.

“What makes acoustic enhancement really exciting is that it can work as a stand-alone intervention or as a tool to enhance existing restoration projects and approaches,” Mooney said. “I think we’ve come up with something that can make a real, measurable impact on bringing coral reefs back to health.”

Coral reefs continue to be under threat, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This is mainly due to climate change, which increases ocean temperatures, making marine ecosystems unsuitable for coral to thrive. Furthermore, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that unsustainable fishing and human pollution exacerbate the bleaching and dying of coral reefs. 

Without coral reefs, NOAA found that communities would no longer be as shielded from storms and erosion, and more than 500 million people would lose their source of medicine, food, and income.

After receiving results that confirmed an increase in coral reef growth, the scientists decided to continue their studies in fish music in an effort to combat these negative impacts of dying coral reefs, save reef biodiversity, and keep the marine environment intact.

An illustration that shows how fish music would be used to save coral reefs.