It turns out that playing healthy coral sounds through underwater speakers can regenerate damaged corals

It grows commonly on the coasts of open tropical oceansCoral reefsIt has decreased in recent years due to the effects of global warming, overfishing, water pollution, etc.A crisis of huge lossesI'm enjoying my time. A research team led by Nadège Aoki of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, USA, reported that when they played recorded sounds from healthy corals to damaged corals, coral growth improved.

Soundscape enrichment increases larval colonization rates in brooding coral Porites astreoides | Royal Society Open Science
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231514

Playing sounds of thriving coral reefs over underwater speakers 'could save damaged coral reefs' | Coral | Watchman
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/13/playing-thriving-reef-sounds-underwater-speakers-save-damaged-corals

The research team found that when coral larvae are released into the water, they swim toward the sounds made by other corals, where they settle and grow.researchAn experiment was accordingly conducted in the US Virgin Islands.

In the experiment, underwater speakers were placed near three coral reefs off the coast of St. John, Virgin Islands, for three days. One speaker played sounds from a healthy coral of the same species, while the remaining two speakers played sounds from a damaged coral or a healthy coral of another species.

At three points, the researchers measured the number of coral larvae in enclosures up to 30 meters from the speakers. As a result, it was confirmed that coral larvae that settled in areas where healthy coral sounds were played were of the same species 1.7 times more frequently than in other areas. It was also found that the settling rate of the larvae decreased depending on the distance from the loudspeaker, suggesting that the sound from the loudspeaker was a factor.

“Just submerging the speaker underwater for a certain period of time not only stimulates the growth of coral larvae, but also increases the number of fish that congregate there. I hope this can be combined with the following,” Aoki said.

On the other hand, Aoki said: “We do not want to use this technology to encourage growth in places where coral reefs are on the verge of extinction due to water pollution. This initiative aims to ensure the survival of these coral reefs.” “It has to be a gradual, multi-faceted approach to ensure growth over time, and we have to be very careful about implementing this technology.”

Steve Simpson, a marine biologist at the University of Bristol, said: “This is a very exciting study that shows how sound playback can enhance coral colonization in coral habitats.” “Saving coral reefs, we can achieve anything.”