Residents of Tampa, Florida, have reported hearing strange noises coming from the bay for years, and now scientists believe it may be fish mating — a very loud one, according to reports.
The deep, vibrating sound has been plaguing residents since at least 2021, prompting several calls to police, according to WTVT. But the most disconcerting aspect has been not knowing the origin of the scandal.
Local scientist James Locascio was tasked with getting to the bottom of the mystery and identified the sound as a black drum fish mating underwater.
“This is a pretty rare phenomenon,” Locascio told the Washington Post. “All these people are surprised because it’s not well known.”
Residents had long speculated about the origins of the sound before hiring Locascio, who agreed to investigate whether they could cover the recording costs.
They launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a study.
Black drum fish are believed to be behind a mysterious vibrating noise in Tampa. Andrea Izzotti – stock.adobe.com The sound has affected residents since at least 2021. Fox 13 News
“It seemed a little silly to me to go ahead with this so stubbornly,” Sara Healy, the fundraiser’s organizer, told WaPo. “But on another level, this is something important for the community.”
Locascio, fisheries program director at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, said he plans to put the equipment underwater to confirm his hypothesis.
“It’s a low-frequency sound, so they travel much better and go longer distances, and they go through different media more efficiently,” he told WVTV.
The mating sound travels through the ground, which possibly explains why residents who live more than a mile from the water can still hear it, he explained.
The black drumfish produces a bass-like sound by moving its muscles against its swim bladder, Locascio told the Washington Post.
Dr. James Locascio hopes to record underwater acoustics to confirm that the fish are responsible for the commotion. Fox 13 News
The scientist completed his thesis on the black drum fish in 2005 at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Sciences. He used underwater acoustic recordings of him to help solve a similar sonic mystery for residents of Cape Coral and Punta Gorda, about 100 miles south of Tampa.
Around this time last year, Punta Gorda officials confirmed to residents a strange sound that many had reported was coming from black drum fish “during spawning season” in the city’s canals, the Miami Herald reported.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn