Is a Fish Attracted to Loud Noises?

In the movie 'Jaws 2,' Chief Brody saves the day by luring the shark with a lot of noise. Turns out, Hollywood got that part right. Fish of all types and sizes are indeed drawn by loud noises. Noises signal home for most fish. But the source of those noises may lead them to anywhere but safety.

  1. Sudden Noises

    • Fish are wary, often timid creatures, keenly tuned to their aural and visual environs. And as anyone who's been fishing knows, sudden loud noises such as dropping anchor or an engine bang can turn a school of fish into a swirl of unpopulated sand in a split second. But this often scares off only timid, nonaggressive fish. More aggressive predator fish, in fact, can be attracted to these noises, which for them is essentially a dinner bell. Spooked fish scurrying means lots of potential meals.

    Finding a Habitat

    • If you own a well-maintained aquarium it is easy to forget the fact that fish are inherently wild creatures programmed to follow their instincts. At only a few weeks old, those instincts guide wild fish toward the noises made by the clattering of shrimp and other aquatic critters. These noises tell young fish where to find a suitable, reasonably safe habitat. By remembering patterns of sounds, fish interpret what their environment is telling them.

    Fish Prefer Noise

    • Even timid fish who are easily spooked by sudden noises seem to prefer cacophony to quiet. In 2005, a group of British marine scientists built 24 fake reefs off the Great Barrier Reef near Australia to test how fish relate to sound. The scientists set up speakers on half the reefs, playing a loud chorus of real reef noises. They found that the noisy reefs attracted far more fish than those that were silent.

    Fatal Attraction

    • The problem for fish is not that loud noises attract them, it's that the noise is not only a product of natural reefs. Noises from ships, offshore wind farms, offshore oil machinery and other human endeavors are attractive to fish. And contrary to popular myth, fish do not have perpetual amnesia. They remember patterns of sound that draw them toward the source. This can lead fish away from their safe reef habitats and into open water, where dangers await.