A Nature study that found broadcasting healthy reef soundscapes doubled fish numbers and raised species diversity by about 50% has prompted divers off Jamaica to try the technique in the Caribbean. Led by Italian artist Marco Barotti, the team has been lowering solar‑powered underwater speakers that play recordings of a living reef for roughly 14 hours a day to attract fish to degraded coral.

From art to reef restoration

Off the northern coast of Jamaica a small team of divers has been lowering waterproof speakers to the seafloor. The devices are powered by solar panels on the surface and programmed to play recordings of a living reef for around 14 hours a day.

Marco Barotti, an Italian artist who has spent recent years creating coral-inspired sculptures from 3D scans, is leading the operation. Barotti said the work is far removed from his previous practice and that sound has long been central to his art — now he is testing whether it can be central to conservation too.

The idea is simple. Healthy reefs are noisy: snapping shrimp, grunting fish and moving water create a persistent biological din. Degraded reefs are conspicuously quieter. Many fish and tiny reef organisms use acoustic cues to find habitat when they disperse as larvae. Play the right sounds in a silent patch of reef, the theory goes, and animals will settle there.

Evidence from the Great Barrier Reef

A major study published in the journal Nature provided the most compelling field evidence to date for the approach. Researchers working on the Great Barrier Reef found that broadcasting recordings of healthy reef soundscapes to degraded areas more than doubled the total number of fish that settled there in six weeks.

Mastheads

The same intervention increased species diversity by 50% — a key factor in making reef communities more resilient.

The Nature paper ran controlled trials and monitored settlement patterns, showing not only more individuals but also a broader mix of species arriving at acoustically enriched sites. That matters because diversity helps reefs recover from shocks such as storms or disease.

Why reefs matter beyond the coral

Reefs account for only a sliver of the ocean floor — roughly 1% — yet they support about a quarter of marine species. They underpin local fisheries that feed millions, and they act as a natural barrier protecting coastlines from waves and storm surge. Since 1950 roughly half of the world's coral has been lost, driven by overfishing, pollution and warming seas.

Ocean warming has intensified 'marine heatwaves', prolonged periods of unusually high sea temperatures that trigger mass coral bleaching. A record heat event in 2023 turned parts of the Caribbean into what scientists described as an ocean 'hot tub', causing widespread bleaching and leaving corals vulnerable to disease and death.

Practical limits and scientific questions

Acoustic enrichment isn't a silver bullet. The Nature study and the Jamaican pilot both emphasise that sound can draw animals back to degraded habitat, but it can't repair coral skeletons, stop warming waters, or remove pollution. Rebuilding the physical structure of reefs, reducing local pressures such as overfishing and runoff, and addressing climate change remain essential.

There are also unanswered questions about scale and duration:

  • The Great Barrier Reef trials showed rapid responses over weeks; whether those gains persist over seasons and years without further intervention is less clear.
  • Researchers will want to know whether repeated sound treatments are needed and how long each deployment should run.
  • Potential ecological side-effects from broadcasting artificial soundscapes also need study.

Cost, logistics and potential

One attraction of the approach is cost. Deployments are solar-powered and can be set up by small teams of divers, as the Jamaican pilot demonstrates, which may make the method feasible for targeted restoration sites if follow-up research supports scaling up.

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The devices play recordings of healthy reefs for about 14 hours a day, powered by solar panels on the surface.

This article was created with AI assistance.