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 — from an award-winning science writer.

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.

In Sing Like Fish, award-winning science journalist Amorina Kingdon synthesises historical discoveries with the latest research in 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, 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.

Intimate and artful, Sing Like Fish tells a uniquely complete story of ocean animals’ submerged sounds, envisions a quieter future, and offers a profound new understanding of the world below the surface.

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‘Exquisite … Kingdon’s descriptions are as edifying as they are evocative … This will open readers’ eyes, and ears, to a heretofore hidden world.’

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‘With historical insight and contemporary science, award-winning writer Kingdon details how the sonic array of the sea sings in ways humans cannot hear. Yet, deaf to the sounds, humans disturb it with a dangerous cacophony of their own. With dozens of line-drawings by the author.’

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‘In precise and immersive prose, Amorina Kingdon takes a deep dive into this enchanting acoustic dimension to explore the latest scientific research on how denizens of the sea perceive sound and how it guides them to food, mates and helps them navigate their environment … Sing Like Fish opens our ears to the complexity and delicate balance in the symphony beneath the waves.’

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‘Sing Like Fish charts the bizarre history of how scientists have learnt to listen to life under water … Kingdon translates the complex science of aquatic acoustics into plain, accessible language. At times, her descriptions take on a lively or poetic turn … Kingdon is an assured and skilled science writer. By taking the reader into the unknown, Sing Like Fish makes the world feel infinitely more immense and mysterious.’