Why is it that all of the absurd stories seem to come out of the state of Florida?
Usually the strange headlines are the result of a “Florida man” or “Florida woman” doing something unheard of, but this time around, it’s actually the “Florida fish” that are responsible.
Residents in Tampa Bay, Florida have been complaining about hearing low frequency, repeated bass (like a subwoofer, not a fish) sounds for years.
The mysterious noise has drove Floridians crazy and kept them in search of answers for what could be causing the strange bass tone. As you might imagine, some theories that have been thrown out there are:
-Secret overnight operations
-Spying streetlights
-Powerful nightclubs defying sound ordinances
-Aliens
It’s not an official list of conspiracy theories if “aliens” isn’t on it, or at the very least mentioned within it somewhere. But one scientist says the sound is none of those things, and is instead the result of groups of black drum fish mating.
A scientist out of the Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota by the name of James Locascio recently installed underwater microphones in the area to confirm his suspicions, though he’s rather confident about his theory.
Locascio became aware of the phenomenon that can be caused by black drum fish during his collegiate studies, and upon hearing the complaints from Tampa Bay residents, he suspected that was the same issue they were facing (not aliens).
According to the scientist, noises that black drum fish emit during the winter mating season can create sounds that reach 165 water decibels.
If a large group of black drum fish were to mate at the same time, that level of noise could easily travel through the ground and be audible on land.
Initially, many Tampa Bay residents doubted Locascio’s theory, but when audio recordings of the black drum fish mating emerged, those doubters quickly changed their mind.
The sounds the black drum fish produce almost exactly matched the “wall-shaking” noises that Floridians have been complaining of.
Thus, the scientist’s theory is most likely correct, though it will apparently be hard to collect data in the large area of the ocean to confirm that the black drum sea fish are, in fact, the culprits.
For more information, you can check out this local news story about the loud fish mating noises wreaking havoc in Tampa Bay:
