Spreading the word about fish sounds

Dr. Rodney Rountree (aka “the fish listener”) describes his efforts together with Dr. Tony Hawkins and Dr. David Mann to educate fishery biologists and ultimately the general public, on the importance of listening to fish. One of the most difficult tasks scientists have in the study of fish, particularly in the ocean, is of finding them in the first place! Passive acoustics provides one method to find fish, and document spawning behavior, without harming them or impacting the environment. But it only works for species that produce sounds (for communication or as incidental noise to behaviors such as feeding) and for which the sounds have been described. For more information see Dr. Rountree’s web page at www.fishecology.org and http://seagrant.mit.edu/cfer/acoustics/PD9x9FINAL.pdf . Hey kids, you can find out more from a free e-book at: http://www.fishecology.org/soniferous/Listening%20to%20fish%20children’s%20book%20final%20wlinks.pdf