TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) — Residents in Tampa Bay are left with many questions after a mysterious bass sound echoed through the night. Now, a scientist believes the emanating sound is coming from mating fish in the bay.
Sounds of Black drum fish mating is the sound Sara Healy, a resident in the area, said she heard Saturday night.
“That’s exactly what I heard. Identical in tone and rhythm,” said Healy.
Healy is working with a scientist to install underwater microphones to precisely determine what the noise is.
Dr. James Locascio, a Mote Marine Senior Scientist, explained that these sounds are created by fish during mating season and can produce throbbing or croaking sounds by using special muscles to vibrate against the swim bladder.
“It’s a low frequency sound and so they travel much better and go further distances and they go through dissimilar media more efficiently,” he said.
Dr. Locascio explored this phenomenon in 2005 during his dissertation at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. He helped people in Cape Coral and Punta Gorda solve their own mystery by using underwater acoustic recorders and neighbor observations.
Inspired by Dr. Locascio’s work, Healy launched a GoFundMe to raise $2,500 in order to install microphones in the area.
“I just answers for the community, for me and just for everyone who is curious,” said Healy. “Just having an answer or having a clearer answer or more information would just help everybody as a whole.”
Dr. Locascio said as soon as the funds are reached, which could be in the next few days, he will be out to install the microphones.
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