Fish sounds could help scientists understand their watery world
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News Clipping
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Article
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Publication Year
2023
Publisher
National Observer, Canada
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[ private ]
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Abstract
Fish, it turns out, are a chatty lot. They communicate about everything from what area of the sea has the best food to where predators might be hiding and, of course, their desire for a mate.
Now, researchers from universities in Canada, the United States and Brazil have put together an online portal called FishSounds that lets people sift through an inventory of sea creature noises. People can listen to the underwater recordings and learn that a sablefish emits a rasp, while the orange-lined triggerfish makes a drumroll sound.
Sarah Vela, senior data manager with a Dalhousie University marine environmental research group and lead developer of the portal, said FishSounds provides researchers with information about whether a fish species makes noise along with its geographical range.
"It's a data set that hasn't really existed before. Whereas there's lots of projects out there that are working with killer whale noises … right whale noises," she said. "Fish is one that's understudied."
Scientists use a hydrophone, or underwater microphone, to monitor and record these sounds, which are then identified by an expert, Vela said. The project also involves teaching a computer to associate sounds with certain species of fish to build up machine learning.
The portal includes data on about 1,200 fish species compiled from scientific literature and other sources. Of those, 1,061 were shown to make some type of detectable sound, a study published by the portal's creators last month in Ecological Informatics said. The site so far holds recordings of more than 260 fish species...
Now, researchers from universities in Canada, the United States and Brazil have put together an online portal called FishSounds that lets people sift through an inventory of sea creature noises. People can listen to the underwater recordings and learn that a sablefish emits a rasp, while the orange-lined triggerfish makes a drumroll sound.
Sarah Vela, senior data manager with a Dalhousie University marine environmental research group and lead developer of the portal, said FishSounds provides researchers with information about whether a fish species makes noise along with its geographical range.
"It's a data set that hasn't really existed before. Whereas there's lots of projects out there that are working with killer whale noises … right whale noises," she said. "Fish is one that's understudied."
Scientists use a hydrophone, or underwater microphone, to monitor and record these sounds, which are then identified by an expert, Vela said. The project also involves teaching a computer to associate sounds with certain species of fish to build up machine learning.
The portal includes data on about 1,200 fish species compiled from scientific literature and other sources. Of those, 1,061 were shown to make some type of detectable sound, a study published by the portal's creators last month in Ecological Informatics said. The site so far holds recordings of more than 260 fish species...
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https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/01/24/news/fish-sounds-could-help-scientists-understand-their-watery-world
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