An Unusual History of Fish
For centuries humans ignored sound in the ‘silent world’ of the ocean, assuming that what we couldn’t perceive, didn’t exist. But we couldn’t have been more wrong. Marine scientists now have the technology to record and study the complex interplay of the myriad sounds in the sea. Finally, we can trace how sounds travel with the currents, bounce from the seafloor and surface, bend with temperature and even saltiness; how sounds help marine life survive; and how human noise can transform entire marine ecosystems.
Award-winning science journalist Amorina Kingdon, author of Sing Like Fish, will give a clear and compelling portrait of this sonic undersea world. From plainfin midshipman fish, whose swim-bladder drumming is so loud it keeps houseboat-dwellers awake, to the syntax of whalesong, from the deafening crackle of snapping shrimp, to underwater earthquakes and volcanoes, Amorina will explain how sound plays a vital role in feeding, mating, parenting, navigating, and warning.
Meanwhile, our seas also echo with human-made sound, and we are only just learning how these pervasive noises can mask mating calls, chase animals from their food, and even wound creatures. Amorina’s lecture will be a captivating exploration of how underwater animals tap into sound to survive, and a clarion call for humans to address the ways we invade these critical soundscapes.
Speaker Bio
Amorina Kingdon is a writer based in Victoria, British Columbia. Until 2021 she was the staff writer for Hakai Magazine, where her work was anthologized in Best Canadian Essays 2020 (Biblioasis). She has received a Digital Publishing Award and a Jack Webster Award, and been honoured as Best New Magazine Writer by the National Magazine Awards.
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
