Researchers find a new tool in coral reef restoration: underwater speakers

Coral Reef.
(Image credit: mihtiander/iStock)

Coral reefs are surprisingly noisy places, but when they are degraded, they become "ghostly quiet." The lack of noise deters fish populations from settling in the dying reef, scientists say, further contributing to the decline.

In an effort to return life to the many reefs ravaged by climate change, researchers from the U.K. and Australia installed underwater speakers in a section of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. They projected the sounds of a healthy reef into a dying one, and diverse fish species from across the food chain flocked to the noise.

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"Of course, attracting fish to a dead reef won't bring it back to life automatically, but recovery is underpinned by fish that clean the reef and create space for corals to regrow," Meekan says.

"Acoustic enrichment," as the researchers are calling the method, combined with habitat restoration and conservation measures, could help accelerate the ecosystem and restore coral reefs.

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Taylor Watson

Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.