The Reef Song Project focuses on reef restoration research, exploring novel complementary approaches to helping coral reefs.
With field research sites at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo, the Reef Song Project:
- builds our understanding of the beneficial relationship between fish and corals,
- explores the role of sound on coral reefs, and
- investigates how both fish and sound might be used to improve restoration outcomes.
Since commencing in 2021, Reef Song has formed important connections with Traditional Custodians in study areas at Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef and continues to support emerging marine scientists.
Reef Song is part of the Australian Coral Reef Resilience Initiative, in partnership with BHP.
Why study fish in reef recovery?
Coral reefs are incredibly complex, and depend on many different relationships to remain healthy. Reef fish depend on corals for food and habitat, and their activities such as scraping, cleaning, and grazing create ideal surfaces for baby corals to settle and grow. Fish that live amongst corals can also help them in other ways; aerating them as they swim, providing extra food from their waste, and defending colonies from predators, improving their coral homes health and accelerating growth.
The goal of Reef Song is to determine if these mutually beneficial relationships between coral and fish can be harnessed to boost coral reef restoration success.
What have ‘songs’ got to do with it?
Coral reefs are noisy places, full of clicks, grunts, pops and crackles. These melodies, made by reef animals such as fish, shrimps and crabs, and the sound of the water.
There is evidence sound may also play an ecological role. For example, young fish, developing in the open ocean, have been found to use these melodies or ‘reef songs’, to find reefs to settle down on. Other studies have shown that more fish are attracted to reefs with louder songs.
Reef Song takes a deeper dive into reefs sounds, their role, and their relationship with reef health.
Sound science for reef restoration
Through the establishment of two large-scale, multi-year experiments at Ningaloo and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Reef Song is:
- improving our understanding of how fish influence coral growth and resilience
- advancing practices to improve young fish survival
- advancing our understanding of reef soundscapes, including variations between habitats and communities
- the development of acoustics as a reef monitoring tool
- advancing our understand of acoustic enrichment as a restoration tool.
Reef Song is led by reef ecologists and acousticians, and supports from students from Australian and international universities who play a key role in delivering the science.
Scientists broadcast ‘reef songs’ underwater to replenish reefs
24 September 2021
Scientists are investigating if the partnership between corals and fish can help repair coral reefs.
Scientists study how underwater soundscapes and young fish could help the Reef
18 January 2024
The cacophony of sounds made by marine wildlife at coral reefs...
Science beyond the ‘Song’
Reef song has established and maintained key science collaborations with more than ten national and international organisations:
- University of Western Australia, WA
- University of Exeter, UK
- University of Bristol, UK
- Curtin University, WA
- James Cook University, Queensland
- NOAA, USA
- Southern Cross University, NSW
- Lizard Island Research Station, Queensland Museum, QLD
- Coral Bay Research Station, Murdoch University, WA
- Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), WA
Making cultural connections
Through the Reef Song project, AIMS has established connections with four Traditional Custodian groups.
Working in accordance with AIMS Indigenous Partnerships Plan, free and prior consent (FPIC) has been gained from the Traditional Owners of sea Country for each research area.
Fostering emerging marine scientists
The Reef Song Project is strengthened by the involvement of Higher Degree Research students in its scientific activities and findings.
Of the 17 higher degree students supported by the project:
- seven core PhD students are supported by Project scholarships and direct academic supervision from Reef Song expert scientists
- three PhD and seven MSc students are provided field support, site access and data across five partner universities.
Project stories
Reef Song has featured in stories from ABC, Cosmos, and the BBC.
Stories from ACRRI can be viewed on our YouTube channel playlist.
Discover Reef Song stories on AIMS’ social media channels using #ACRRI.
