Offshore Loudspeaker with crackling sounds from an oyster reef

A coral reef produces sounds that free-floating coral larvae can hear. In fact, they are drawn to the sounds and settle near the sound source. It has recently been discovered that oyster larvae also respond to reef sounds. What does an oyster reef in the Netherlands sound like, and does the reef sound differ from other locations in the North Sea? And what does that mean for oyster reef restoration?

To answer these questions, we made sound recordings of an oyster reef in the Voordelta. We also developed a prototype offshore loudspeaker to play these sounds in the North Sea.

In this way, we are testing whether we can mimic natural underwater sounds to help young oysters find their ideal settlement site. This innovative method can help accelerate oyster reef restoration and, consequently, biodiversity in the North Sea.

This project is being carried out by Waardenburg Ecology, WaterProof, Van Oord, and Ecoshape, and funded by Natuurversterking Noordzee.