Listening to Boat Traffic and Fish Spawning

February 9, 2024

diver installing a hydrophone on the ocean bottom
Photos: Ben Edmonds/NOAA
a hydrophone at the ocean bottom

We're listening! Strategically-placed underwater sound recording devices (hydrophones) can tell us a lot about the marine environment. Our Key West-based Mission: Iconic Reefs team in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary recently swapped out new devices at Eastern and Western Dry Rocks. The Eastern Dry Rocks hydrophone is listening for boat traffic to help us understand human impact on the reef, while the Western Dry Rocks device is listening for spawning snapper and grouper, as part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's annual closure of the area. You can learn more about sound monitoring across the National Marine Sanctuary System on our SanctSound project page.